A love letter to Saadat Hasan Manto’s Bombay. Bombay Stories, the anthology drama inspired by the legendary writer’s stories, premiered on JioHotstar on September 28, 2026 — and quickly climbed to #1 among Hindi movies on the platform. Directed by Rahhat Shah Kazmi and headlined by Mouni Roy and Anupriya Goenka, the film brings 1930s Bombay to life in all its grit and glory. Here’s everything to know.
Bombay Stories Release Date and Platform
Bombay Stories streams on JioHotstar from September 28, 2026. The 131-minute anthology arrived with serious festival pedigree — it was presented at Cannes 2026 — and its streaming debut made it an instant talking point, topping the Hindi movies chart on JioHotstar in its opening week.
What Is Bombay Stories About?
Set in 1930s Bombay, the film weaves together stories of sex workers and underprivileged women navigating a city of stark contrasts — glamour and grime, power and powerlessness. Drawing on Manto’s unflinching portraits of the marginalised, the anthology presents a mosaic of human experiences: desire, survival, betrayal and unexpected tenderness in the back alleys and brothels of pre-independence Bombay.
It’s a rare Hindi film that puts its most invisible women front and centre — and refuses to look away.
Bombay Stories Cast
- Mouni Roy
- Anupriya Goenka
- Monica Aggarwal
- Gargi Duggal
- Rahhat Shah Kazmi
- Faizan Khan
- Shoib Nikash Shah
- Sushmita Singh as Kamna
- Rrahul Sudhir
- Bilal Ahamad Bhagat as Constable Shinde
The Maker: Rahhat Shah Kazmi
At 44, Rahhat Shah Kazmi — from Surankote, Poonch, in Jammu & Kashmir — has built a reputation for literary, rooted cinema. He co-wrote Bombay Stories with Yash Goradia and produced it alongside Tariq Khan and Asiya Kazmi. For Kazmi, adapting Manto was a homecoming of sorts: a filmmaker from the margins telling the stories of the marginalised.
Why Bombay Stories Is Trending
1. #1 on JioHotstar. The film topped the platform’s Hindi movies chart within days of release.
2. Manto’s power. Stories rooted in one of Urdu literature’s greatest writers carry a weight few originals can match.
3. Festival pedigree. A Cannes 2026 presentation gives the film serious critical credentials.
4. Bold performances. Mouni Roy and Anupriya Goenka lead a cast earning praise for fearless, lived-in portrayals.
5. A J&K triumph. Rahhat Shah Kazmi’s journey from Surankote to Cannes is one of the year’s most inspiring film stories.
Fans of powerful Hindi dramas on MovieVerse can also explore The Maharashtra Files, Batwara 1947 and Mata.
Manto’s Enduring Legacy
Nearly a century after he wrote them, Saadat Hasan Manto’s stories still cut to the bone. Bombay Stories joins a long line of adaptations — from Nandita Das’s Manto (2018) to countless stage productions — proving that his unflinching gaze at society’s underbelly remains as relevant as ever. This anthology’s focus on the women of 1930s Bombay feels especially urgent today.
How to Watch Bombay Stories
- Film: Bombay Stories
- Platform: JioHotstar
- Release date: September 28, 2026
- Runtime: 131 minutes
- Director: Rahhat Shah Kazmi
- Cast: Mouni Roy, Anupriya Goenka
Stream it now on JioHotstar. For more on this week’s releases and OTT updates — including titles like Awarapan 2 — keep following MovieVerse at MovieVerse.watch.