The Veil and Obstacles in Bombay

In Bombay, Sekhar Naranyan travels to his home village to visit his family. As he arrives he encounters the beautiful Shaila Banu, a Muslim woman, and he instantly falls madly in love with her. Sekhar and Shaila begin a whirlwind love affair that drives them from the homes of their deeply religious parents to the modern city of Bombay. Sekhar and Shaila marry, and begin a new life together as husband and wife. The young couple give birth to two twin boys, Kabir and Kamal, and enjoy a few happy years together as a family before the country becomes embroil in religious violence spurned by the destruction of the Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodhya. In the end, the family learns that differences drive people apart, and fear of the other can internalize into outward aggression, while they walk a fine line as dual citizens of both Hindu and Muslim culture. 

            Veils are recurring motif in the film. When Sekhar first meets Shaila, her veil lifts up in a gust of wind, and her face is revealed. This invites the viewer to see the scene through the male gaze; we see Shaila as a woman, and her sexual nature is laid bare for Sekhar to pursue her as the object of his desire. When Sekhar stumbles upon Shaila in the village marketplace, she is dressed in a white sari without a veil. She is exposed to his gaze, and she avoids meeting his eyes. Without her veil she has lost the modesty and protection of her religion, yet throughout the ensuing dance sequence, the audience watches as her eyes begin to glance in his direction, and eventually linger upon him; in one moment, she forgets her dance moves, and for the first time we see her recognize him as a man, as a sexual mate. Later, when Sekhar is pursing Shaila and her friend, Shaila fools Sekhar into thinking her friend is she, but as she is leaving she lifts her veil and deliberately shows him her face. This foreshadows Shaila’s eventual revocation of her family’s religious values; she chooses Sekhar over the religion of her house, shunning the rituals of Islam for romantic love. Although veils recur throughout the entirety of the film, such as when a stray breeze blows a veil in front of Shaila’s face, the veil is seen more as a ripple f the past, an old reminder of the patriarchal shroud that Shaila has cast off in order to be with Sekhar.

            Bombay is an Indian Romeo and Juliet story; two tragic lovers who come from different families must battle to be together. Physical obstacles frequently conspire to drive Sekhar and Shaila apart, and the two have to find creative solutions to overcome. When Sekhar and Shaila conspire to meet in secret together for the first time, Sekhar bids her to come to the old fort by the edge of the sea. The fort is a symbol of authority, of rule and law, but it is overgrown with vegetation, signifying that the old order has been destroyed, and modern India now rules. Shaila then runs past an old anchor, which can be construed as a symbol of the weight of her subordination to patriarchy, but in the next moment her veil blows away, hinting that she has cast of the yoke of her subservience.

            As Sekhar and Shaila are waiting to be married at the courthouse, Shaila avoids contact with Sekhar for fear that people will see their public displays of affections. At this point, they are still afraid to be themselves around each other, especially Shaila. Once they are married, their relationship is legitimized in the eyes of the law, and although they haven’t reconciled their religious obstacles with their family, they at least are no longer afraid to be seen with each other. But even after Sekhar and Shaila are married they still face obstacles, for they are forced to watch over their landlords children and nieces and nephews during their honeymoon. The kids are a rampaging horde that can’t be controlled, and although they don’t care whether Sekhar and Shaila or Hindu or Muslim their presence dampens the newlyweds romantic coupling. In one of the most iconic scenes of the film, the children form a barrier on the floor between the resting forms of Sekhar and Shaila. The children play a game of telephone between Sekhar and Shaila, silently whispering messages between each other. When Sekhar says he loves Shaila the children shout out his message and the game is broken, symbolizing that love cannot be stifled if it is true and pure.

            Despite their different religions and upbringings, religion cannot keep Sekhar and Shaila apart. To them, religion is more liquid than solid, and the two frequently morph between the two; Sekhar even offers to change religions for Shaila, but she says there’s no need. Sekhar is pictured wearing a Muslim Taqiyah, and Shaila plays with wearing a bindi. Throughout the film, barriers rise up to separate the couple from physical threats from rioters to emotional appeals from their parents, yet nothing can separate them from each other. Through thick and thin they draw strength from their love for each other, and persevere in the face of any and all odds to prove that they are Indians before they are Hindu or Muslim, man or woman.