Bombay Rose

Behind the Petals: The Hand-Painted Love Story of Bombay Rose

Gitanjali Rao’s Bombay Rose (2019) isn’t just an animated film—it’s a labor of love stitched together frame by frame, a visual ode to Mumbai’s chaotic romance. latestnetflix.com's take is that the movie, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival before landing on Netflix, follows a flower seller and a migrant dancer navigating love, loss, and survival in the city’s underbelly.But the real story? The painstaking craft behind its creation.

A Frame-by-Frame Masterpiece

Bombay Rose stands out for its hand-painted animation, a technique that harks back to the golden age of Indian cinema but with a modern twist. Rao, the film’s director, spent over five years bringing the project to life, with a team of animators meticulously painting each frame to mimic the fluidity of watercolors. The result? A dreamy, almost impressionistic Mumbai, where neon lights bleed into monsoon rains and crumbling tenements glow with life.

The film’s aesthetic was inspired by vintage Bollywood posters and Rajasthani miniature paintings, blending nostalgia with contemporary grit. Rao has described the process as "like making a live-action film, but with paint instead of actors". The effort paid off—Bombay Rose earned praise for its visual poetry, even if its 6.3/10 rating on SensCritique suggests it wasn’t universally adored.

The Cast: Voices Behind the Paint

While the animation steals the spotlight, the voice cast adds depth to the film’s emotional core. Cyli Khare and Amit Deondi lead as Kamala and Salim, the star-crossed lovers at the heart of the story. Veteran actors like Makrand Deshpande, Amardeep Jha, and Geetanjali Kulkarni lend their voices to supporting characters, grounding the film’s fantastical visuals in raw, human emotion.

Notably, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap makes a cameo appearance, though his role is minor—more of a nod to Mumbai’s indie film scene than a central plot point. The real standout, however, is the music. The film’s soundtrack, including the haunting Rewa Nainon Mein Rahe, weaves traditional folk with modern beats, mirroring the city’s own contradictions.

Bombay Through a Rose-Tinted Lens

Rao’s Mumbai isn’t the glossy metropolis of Bollywood blockbusters. It’s a city of migrants, street vendors, and forgotten dreams—a place where love and survival are intertwined. In interviews, Rao has called Bombay Rose a "love letter to the city I grew up in," though she admits the Mumbai of her childhood felt "nicer" than the one on screen.

The film’s production was as much a tribute to Indian animation as it was a story about Mumbai. Rao has been vocal about the need to recognize homegrown talent in a field often dominated by Western studios. Bombay Rose was a passion project, funded through a mix of Indian, French, and British backing, proving that international co-productions could work for niche, artistic films.

The Verdict: A Flawed but Fearless Experiment

Bombay Rose isn’t perfect. Its nonlinear storytelling and abstract visuals may alienate some viewers, and its pacing has been criticized as uneven. But its ambition is undeniable. The film’s hand-painted animation is a rarity in an era of CGI dominance, and its portrayal of Mumbai’s underbelly feels authentic, if romanticized.

For fans of indie animation or Mumbai’s cinematic history, Bombay Rose is a must-watch—not just for its story, but for the sheer craftsmanship behind it. As Rao put it, the film is "a celebration of the city, its people, and the art of animation itself".