A day in the life of Mohammad Muslim. Morning Delivery

Cinematographer: Shaina Anand

Duration: 00:24:31; Aspect Ratio: 1.778:1; Hue: 24.644; Saturation: 0.103; Lightness: 0.341; Volume: 0.080; Cuts per Minute: 19.369; Words per Minute: 14.109

Mohammed Muslim lives in Colaba and moves around on his bicycle delivering bread and plastic bags. His beat stretches from Navy Nagar, the southern most tip of Bombay, to Mohammed Ali road and Dongri. We spent a day with him documenting his daily movement patterns. Here he begins his second round of deliveries for the day, going to colaba market, machimar nagar, Colaba, (fishing colony) and Geeta Nagar slums. Since he sells plastic bags, a few shopowners seem vary of the camera, of 'media' folks. Most trust him, but he senses some tension and tells us later, that we should avoid the bags and maybe just focus on bread deliveries. We agree.

Mohammed walks his cycle out of his lane followed by another man.
Colaba Post Office
cycle
mohammed
Colaba, Cuffe Parade

Mohammed walks his bike past an old church and onto the main road. He stops at a vegetable vendor on the side of the road to deliver plastic bags.
Baptist Church
Colaba Post Office
deliver
main road
mohammed
plastic
vegetable

Colaba Post Office
Sassoon Docks
Various shots. Mohammed walks his cycle from Colaba Post Office north towards Sassoon Dock past parked vehicles, buildings, passing traffic and shops including Mr.Price and Birdy's. He stops at a street vendor to deliver plastic bags as fisherwomen walk by. Zoom in to him removing and putting back packets of plastic bags. He does not make a sale and resumes walking.
bags
birdy's
buildings
colaba post office
cycle
fisherwomen
mohammed
mr.price
parked vehicles
plastic
sassoon dock
shops
street vendor
traffic
-We'll go from here.
-Yes, yes, let's go.

- You want the small ones in these?
- Give me those other ones.
- I don't have those right now. Now we'll go here.
- Where?
- From ahead we'll turn like this.
- Ok. On the cycle or walking?
- Right now we'll walk for a little bit.

- Hey bhaiya (brother), what is this?
- It's a film.

(Hindi)
zoom in

Mohammed walks his bike towards, along and past Sassoon Dock and turns off the road towards the left.
Sassoon Dock
mohammed
sassoon dock

Mohammed rides his bike along the shop-lined road. He stops and gets off to make a turn and continues riding towards Cuffe Parade. He gets off once again to cross the road at Cuffe Parade and then continues to ride towards Machhimar Nagar.
Cuffe Parade
Machhimar Nagar
Sassoon Dock
cuffe parade
machhimar nagar
mohammed
- Where Mohammad bhai? Straight?

A boy plays cricket in a clearing by the road. The Mohammed pulls in on his cycle, gets off and walks his cycle into Machhimar Nagar.
Cuffe Parade
Machhimar Nagar
boy
cricket
cycle
machhimar nagar
mohammed

The Mohammed makes a delivery of plastic bags to a vegetable vendor. They talk and argue about quality, price and supply.
Cuffe Parade
Machhimar Nagar
argue
delivery
mohammed
plastic bags
price
quality
supply
vegetable
vendor
- Yes how much? These are the packets of 50.
- I don't want these ones.
- Yes but the other ones are not available. I didn't get any stock. It's been stopped.
- Why has it been stopped?
- Why has it been stopped? If the supply isn't coming in, won't it stop? There will be problems for 5-10 days.
- How many bags in this?
- 50 total.
- How much? 10 rupees?
- Yes.

(Hindi)

Track shot approaching Machhimar Nagar market. Mohammed walks in. Vegetable shop in the foreground.
Cuffe Parade
Machhimar Nagar
machhimar nagar
market
shop
track shot
vegetable

Mohammed removes plastic bags from the back of cycle and hands them to a kirana shop or general store. He returns to his cycle, removes more bags and approaches another store.
- Give me two.
- Two?
- Yes.

- Look what's behind you.
- Arre, I've brought them with me. They're making a movie.
- We're making a movie on him.
- They're making a movie. They're not going to catch you for anything.
(Hindi)
Cuffe Parade
Machhimar Nagar
bags
cycle
general store
kirana
mohammed
plastic

The kirana shop or general store owner counts money, gives it to someone and takes the plastic bags. The Mohammed stands with his back to the camera. They talk, the shop owner does some accounts and talks. The Mohammed waits for his payment as the shop owner talks on the phone.
- Here, take this. (Marathi)

- 46 for this, 50 for this and 25 for this. 80, 100, 144. I mean 146! The total is 146.
- Wait for a minute. How much? Hundred and...?
- 146
- 146.

(Hindi)
Cuffe Parade
Machhimar Nagar
accounts
bags
general store
kirana
mohammed
money
payment
phone
plastic

A fisherwoman walks by with a basket of fish covered in ice. The Mohammed takes some plastic bags to akirana shop or general store and hands them to the two children running the counter.
- How many of these do you want? No, no, the bags.
- Nothing will happen.

(Hindi)
Cuffe Parade
Machhimar Nagar
bags
basket
children
fish
fisherwoman
general store
//i//kirana||i||
ice
mohammed
plastic

Mohammed instructs the camera person not to film the plastic bags as they are illegal and to film the pav instead.
Cuffe Parade
Machhimar Nagar
- Baby, don't show the plastic bags, show the pav. I mean the pav (bread) business is fine, I have it at my house also. The bags are a kachha dhanda (illegal business). All the U.P people see my old age and buy from me, but otherwise noone will buy anything from me.
-No, you are right. Now we'll only show the pav.
- Yes, show the pav. That is my dhanda (business).
- Now we're going to Colaba Market?
- Now we'll go to Cuffe Parade, to the hotels (restaurants). Those people need pav.
- You're right.
- You are my own person, I know you.
- I understand Mohammad bhai. Don't worry.
- No, I have faith in you.

(Hindi)
bags
illegal
mohammed
plastic

Mohammed walks his cycle out of Machhimar Nagar, crosses the road and rides his bike along the buildings of Cuffe Parade passing a police van, gas cylinder cart and fisherwomen towards Navy Nagar.
Cuffe Parade
Machhimar Nagar
Navy Nagar
cart
cuffe parade
cycle
cylinder
fisherwomen
gas
machhimar nagar
mohammed
navy nagar
police van

Mohammed removes pav (bread) from his cycle and makes a delivery to a restaurant called Hotel Cafe Deenar
Cuffe Parade
Navy Nagar
cafe
cycle
deenar
delivery to a <restaurant
hotel
mohammed

Mohammed rides his cycle past Colaba Woods towards Wodehouse Road. He gets off the cycle and walks it to a pav (bread) shop where he stops.
Colaba Woods
Cuffe Parade
Navy Nagar
Wodehouse Road
colaba woods
cycle
pav
mohammed
- We'll turn from here.

- There's a pav (bread) shop. We'll go from here.
(Hindi)
wodehouse road

Mohammed walks up to a roadside bread shop to buy pav.
Colaba Post Office
Wodehouse Road
bread
mohammed
roadside
shop

Colaba Post Office
Mohammed rides his bike past a municipal garbage truck towards Colaba Post Office and back into his lane.
Wodehouse Road
colaba post office
garbage
lane
mohammed
municipal
truck

Colaba Post Office
Mohammed unloads two bags enters his house. TV plays in the background.

Pad.ma requires JavaScript.