This is a film about the "King of the Chore Bazaar", the famous Thieves Market in Mumbai (Bombay).
Siddique solves all kinds of disputes and conflicts that arise for the people of the market, in creative, ingenious and sometimes sensational ways. He has stopped riots and saved marriages. He is a humorous, charismatic man
who suffers from a disability due to a childhood bout of polio.
The backdrop to this film is Mumbai, the great old trading port of India, through which the vast export endowments of the British Raj flowed, and now the frontline of a national economy which is being rapidly modernised. It has a huge population crammed into an island the size of Manhattan.
Our story begins as we are plunged into an intense, dramatic conflict in the heart of the market. The opposing sides are heated, loud, remonstrating, apparently well beyond the possibility of any quiet resolution. This is
familiar territory for Siddique.
He has seen thousands of squabbles and altercations in the daily life of this teaming market. On one occasion he dealt with a High Court Judge. Once he resorted to hanging himself publicly, in order to stop a riot, almost dying. He has also been stabbed.
Such is his effectiveness and such is the respect he has engendered for his considerable gifts as an arbitrator, that he is known throughout the market community as its unofficial king - the King of the Chore Bazaar, and yet he
demands no payment for his services.
In solving a dispute Siddique will normally make investigations over weeks if necessary. He will meet with each of the parties a number of times and then he will deliberate.
His solution will then be given in the form of a delicately tendered compromise received by a respectful gathering. But if the situation demands otherwise, if time is of the essence, he might improvise a more dramatic intervention of his own that will bring matters to a head quickly.
We will film the dramatic conflicts and get to know the protagonists and how they regard Siddique. To do this we will venture behind the scenes to discover the arcane world of the Chore Bazaar. We will see the special kind of magic Siddique weaves to help his community.
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