A day in the life of Mohammed Muslim: Navy Nagar: Man-powered.
Cinematographer: Shaina Anand
Duration: 00:18:47; Aspect Ratio: 1.778:1; Hue: 30.249; Saturation: 0.102; Lightness: 0.386; Volume: 0.073; Cuts per Minute: 40.223; Words per Minute: 17.824
Summary: 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. After his second round of deliveries, Mohammed is back home. He remembers that its friday and suggests to us, that he goes to offer namaaz at the navy nagar mosque. Here we follow him on a motorbike into navy nagar, we are not allowed to shoot, its restricted area we are told at the end of it all.
Colaba Post Office
Mohammed has come back from round 2 of deliveries. he has washed up and done his wazu. Tv as always plays in the background of his house. He loads his basket again with meticulous care. secures the plastic sack. ties it with the rubber strap (bicyle tyre)
TV in the background.
"now don't take iron to the clothes. take clothes to the iron. free yourself from creases in a moment. create a crease free world."
it goes on, its a telemarketing ad for a cordless iron, probably featuring a testimony.
talking to mohammed.
- did you bathe, mohammed bhai?
-should i (cover my head now, or there...)
-what...?
-should we go?
TV
bicycle
house
Bicycle
Colaba, Mumbai
cantonment
city
military
naval
restricted area
Colaba Post Office
Mohammed goes back in and gets out a handkerchief. ties it to his head. (covering his head before heading out to the mosque.
TV- telemarketing continues for the cordless steam iron. special feature, Vertical ironing. spiel goes on in background. 'create a crease fee world'
M-well go from here.
S-yes, one minuted i have to get a tape.
TV
handkerchief
head-scarf
telemarketing
Colaba Post Office
Mohammed takes soem change from another shirt and hangs it up. His wife is cooking rotis on the tava.
He walks out of the lane. A kid in the foreground. Neighbors inquire.
He cycles out of the gate. a bus passes by.
More tv spiel.
iron chief will help you.
pick up the phone, and order your TVC magic now.
TVC India's # sky shopping company brings to you an SMS dhamaka (explosion)
upto 70% discount, oh yes....amazing innovative exciting lifestyle
-Were making a picture on Mohammed Bhai.
TV
bicycle
Navy Nagar, Mumbai
cycling through navy nagai. we are on a bike tailing mohammed. a long white-washed wall in the background.shards of glass on the tops. high fences. this is all naval area. restricted. need permission to shoot apparently.
we now pass green parks. some older buildings. others pass by on bikes and cycles.
Naval
cyclist
pedalling
restricted area
speed
Mohammed cycling. we tail him on the bike. passing navy nagar. close up of hands. mohammed cycles without ever ringing the bell. close up of his injured foot. wheels of the cycle. more of navy nagar in the back. barbed wire, high walls.
Navy Nagar
-mohammad bhai, do you go for namaaz every day.
- no friday-friday. otherwise man prays at home. here everyone comes on jumma. (friday)
-nice, nice. barracks...military...
- this belongs to the army, doesn't it
-yes
-we come here on fridays. or we come on eid, bakri eid.
barbed wire
eid
foot
handles
navy
pedal
wheel
-have we reached?
-Its done? what time is it?
-a quarter to two. namaaz is over?
-yes its over. they are all coming back.
-can you join them there...? well take a shot with them, like you are returning from prayers.
more barbed wire, high gate with Mangalore tiles. Mohammed cycles at good speed. you here a cyclical clink in his bicycle. we pass some official signs, kendriya vidyalaya, fellow cyclists, a school, an army canteen and a sena (army) cinema. we are nearing the mosque. Mohammed sees people returning. he asks us what time it is. its late, namaaz is over. we request him to join the flow of people coming back so we can get a shot of him 'returning' after prayers.
Navy Nagar
army
cinema
namaaz
school
Mohammed joins a group of men who are returning from Friday prayers. he waves out to a few who he knows.
can you walk back with them, like you are returning from namaaz.
men
muslim
namaaz
people
Mohammed joins a group of men who are returning from Friday prayers. he waves out to a few who he knows. cabs and bikes pass us by. a gate: naval headquarters.
People
can you walk back with them, like you are returning from namaaz.
men
mohammed cycles on ahead.
bicycle
mohammed enters the mosque. he takes his cycle in.
mosque
a woman in a sari waits outside the mosque. men enter and leave.
sari
a woman in a sari waits outside the mosque. men enter and leave. a building and a compound is visible inside as we zoom in. people begging for alms, some seated, some praying. Towards the end, you hear a man talking. its a plain clothesman who makes me turn off the camera. he askes us why we are shooting. this is restrictued area. i say im not shooting the navy area, im shooting the mosque which has nothing to do with the navy. he warns me not to shoot.
Mosque
Mohammed cycles back towards Colaba. Now we see things on the right hand side.
we pass the cinema. now we pass a bus stand. more barbed wires. other cyclists. mohammed's cycle bell glistens in the sunlight. we pass army school, mumbai. sintex loft tanks, high gate, the barbed-wire on the high wall continues. close-up of Mohammed Muslim. As we approach colaba, we encounter traffic.
Mosque
Muslim
Colaba Defense Station gate.(which is right outside Mohammeds house, colaba post office) a tow- truck passes with a bike on it. the plain clothesman has also followed us. he arrives and asks us for our names, postal address etc. he also wants Mohammed's details which we deny him. In turn we ask to see his Identity card.
Colaba Post Office
Defense
bikes
gate
military
restricted area
tow-truck
traffic
Colaba defence station. entrance to Navy nagar, right next to Colaba Post Office, near where Mohammed lives.
Colaba, Navy nagar
Defence
back home, cycled parked outside. mohammed takes a nap.
bicycle
lane
Colaba
its about 5pm. ambiance outside Mohammed's house. we are waiting for him. we all took a break and we are back as planned.his bicycle is parked outside as always. lungis hang on a clothes line. kids continue their morning fascination with the camera. tilt up to reveal the posh building, Prince Chambers, Connaught Mansion, in whose compound mohammed has his home. someone drops some trash from above, it lands down. kid plays with the bicycle pedal.
bicycle
children
housing
Colaba Post Office
-he said to meet him outside. he's over there...at the milk dairy, you know where?
kid plays with the bicycle pedal. someone loads another back on the bicyle. Mohammed's nephew's voice in the background.
Colaba
dairy
handheld past hutch shop into the dairy stall. Mohammed asks us to sit. hes changes his clothes, his glasses are on his neck. hes chatting with the owner, a colleague, friend.
lassi is a sweetened or savory yogurt shake.
lassi
-come sit?
-no i cant, i have to work, if i sit, who will shoot?
-do they have lassi?
Colaba
his nephew is also present. shop keeper takes out 2 lassis from the cooler.
lassi
Mohammed walks out. we see him walking towards us. can see the street sign in the background. windy hall lane. hes worn his glasses. looks great.
WIndy Hall Lane, Colaba
- hey baba, should we take the bread (pav) and go.
Close Up of Mohahammed in the dairy. he smiles. owner talks on the phone. Mohammed supplies to them, is probably collecting his weekly dues. He tells his nephew to bring the cycle.
Dairy, Colaba Post Office
-are you bringing it?
-yes.
dairy
phone
Colaba Post Office
Mohammed's nephew ties the plastic sack and the rubber tyre to the basket as weve seen Mohamed do. the little kid asks to take/see her photo. I flip the screen around so she can see herself. so can the nephew as we have a short address to camera. ladies chatter in the background.
cycle
dhanda
goods
job
-show me also.
- see quickly.
- ok. Mohammed Bhai has asked us to meet him at the dairy. Im taking the cycle to him. The he will leave for his dhanda. (job, trade).
-where all...?
-COlaba Market, Cuffe Parade, and then to get his goods from Masjid Bundar.
trade
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