The Netflix series Yeh Ballet examines kindness beneath sordid everydayness

Despite numerous scenes set in Mumbai's slums, the film doesn't stray anywhere near poverty porn

Right from the word go, with an evocative shot that opens with Mumbai’s Bandra-Worli Sea Link and then zeroes in on a group of teenage boys b-boying by the shore, director Sooni Taraporevala establishes that her new film is a portrait of a city and people well-loved. These teenagers, who have patches of their wild hair dyed blonde, fear nothing except the women who chase them away. They want the space cleared so they can dry fish where the boys dance.

Among these shaggy-haired boys who impress with their skills in the opening scenes of Yeh Ballet is Asif (Achintya Bose).