Remember Bombay Boys? Rewind 25 years with the OG Mumbhai gang

Kaizad Gustad’s campy Hinglish film released in December 1998. Feel old, feel cringey, sing I am Mumbhai, as the cast and crew serve up their best memories

Fresh out of New York University’s Film School, Kaizad Gustad – Mumbai-schooled and Sydney-bred – landed in Mumbai at an interesting time in the Hindi film industry. It was the mid-’90s. Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn were flexing their biceps, while the Khans – Salman, Aamir and Shah Rukh – were romancing their way into India’s hearts. The country’s first multiplex opened in New Delhi in 1997, making space for medium to low budget films. These broke away from the action/romance formula. Gustad jumped right in.

Bombay Boys, a tale story of three expat boys in Mumbai was a sleeper hit 25 years ago.

Tara Deshpande starred opposite Naseeruddin Shah in the movie, playing the moll to his gangster. (HT Media Limited)

Rahul Bose plays a man from Sydney, in Mumbai for the first time, looking for his long-lost brother. (HT Media Limited)

Naveen Andrews played an aspiring actor from NYC, who is looking to break into the Hindi film industry.