We are seeing a changed Mumbai, but having showcased Dharavi in 'Slum Dog Millionaire' brought shame and disgrace to our city. Whenever the firangs visit Mumbai, they must visit Dharavi; it has become a sightseeing spot. However, I feel saddened about it.
How many more people right now feel connected to Mumbai because of Slumdog Millionaire, or suddenly are interested in the plight of orphans on Mumbai after seeing that film? The same thing with the Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
But one of the best things away from playing was a visit to a Mumbai slum. You see people in their conditions, getting stuck into their way of life and not moaning, and realise how lucky you are to be doing what you are doing. It put things into perspective.
Most of my closest friends have come to visit me in Hyderabad. So I feel I'm always linked with Mumbai.
Though Suparna is a Malayali, she has spent a large part of her life in Mumbai. She's a Mumbai girl. In fact, I saw the real Mumbai through Suparna's eyes. Of course, I knew Mumbai before I got to know Suparna. But it was Suparna who showed me sides to Mumbai I had never seen.
I was born in Mumbai and brought up between Mumbai and Nashik.
Mumbai's infectious. Once you start living in Mumbai, working in Mumbai, I don't think you can live anywhere else.
I am a Punjabi at heart, but I've been born & brought up in Mumbai and even did my schooling & graduation from Mumbai itself.
I sound, convincingly, twice my age whenever I visit New York City neighborhoods I frequented in my 20s and grumble about how much they have changed.
Mumbai can be contagious. The pace of life is so fast that if I travel out of the city I am happy for a few days, but then I crave the Mumbai hit.
I was born in Faridabad but brought up in Delhi and Mumbai. My father had been living hand-to-mouth and literally slept on railway platforms when he came to Mumbai for the first time to become a film singer. My parents were both singers; they sang together and fell in love due to their singing.
All of Bengal knows about my differences with my father. He's based in Mumbai. I never visit him. He never visits me. We are not enemies. But neither are we friends.
Having lived in a big city like Mumbai, I feel it gives you another personality in a way.
I feel I haven't quite settled in Mumbai. One, it is a cultural shock for me and two, I feel no one really has the time for others in Mumbai. For instance, if you need them, they wouldn't be there despite swearing allegiance to you.
I recently passed through Mumbai airport. I cannot claim it was a pleasant experience. But if I had a choice between Mumbai airport and Euston on a Sunday afternoon, I'd take Mumbai any day.
Our handling of Covid-19 pandemic, especially in Dharavi, has been applauded at the international level.
Mumbai can eat you up or teach you how to survive because it is a tricky city. I guess living in cities like Mumbai or Delhi makes you slightly more street-smart and alert.