With its 22 million inhabitants, Mumbai is the economic
and financial capital of India. Each morning, the city is brought
to a halt by huge traffic jams. To get to work, eight million people
take the train each day. However, the railway network
only has four lines. At rush hour,
the stations are swarming with people. In the midst of this crowd of commuters
made up almost exclusively of men, There's the train. Vinit, a 26-year-old accountant, has an hour-and-a-half
commute each morning. It will be here in a minute. Easy, gentlemen! To get on the train,
Vinit has to elbow his way through. A pleasant surprise,
a seat opens up right in front of him. It's exhausting, every day, we fight more. You couldn't get closer to the door. Everyone pushes inside and outside. I have to wait for two
or three trains every day. Inside the carriages, the worn-out fans are not enough
to lower the near 45-degree temperatures. Despite overcrowding,
insurance agents, lawyers, and bank employees are still smiling. We are enjoying! Every day. It's not very difficult,
we are enjoying our journey. The temperatures are quite hot. However, it has become a routine for us,
so it doesn't matter. This daily routine is not so fun
for every passenger. Some never even reached their destination. Between those who hang on to the carriages
and those who lean out of the train, casualties have become commonplace. This woman narrowly escaped death,
only just caught by another passenger. This man in the pink shirt, let go under
the pressure of the other passengers, fell to his death. This commuter also lost his life. Vinit is nearing his destination. When you get to work,
you're exhausted, no? Yes, very exhausted, I take half an hour rest
before my journey. Although he has arrived safe and sound, in 2019, 2,691 people died
on the railway in Mumbai. A shocking average of seven deaths a day. Samir Zaveri, miraculously survived
falling onto the rails. Thirty years ago, he lost both his legs
in a tragic accident. I was crossing the railway track and fell. However, I was lucky that my body was out
of the way of the people on the train. The train came
and suddenly ran over my legs. The people who were there in the nighttime
took me to the nearest hospital. Therefore, within five or ten minutes, the bleeding stopped
and my life was saved. Since then, Zamir has persistently lobbied
the authorities to increase safety on trains. It carries three to four times
more passengers compared to its capacity. I'm demanding
that the suburban train in Mumbai has all the doors and required to close. If any passenger get injured, then there must be
an emergency medical services and full service should be free of cost
from the government. To relieve the overcrowded trains
and congested stations, four subway lines
are currently under construction, but the overcrowded megalopolis
is facing many other challenges. Located on the west coast of India,
the city of Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay,
is the country's economic center. The population of this former
British colonial city has skyrocketed. Bombay had a population
of 3,000,000 in 1951. Today it is home to 22 million people, and this figure is expected to grow
to 30 million by 2035. To overcome the lack of space, hundreds of high-rise luxury apartments
are being built, designed for the wealthy upper class who dream of adopting
a more European lifestyle. It's the house of our dreams,
exactly what we are looking for. To build these huge housing complexes, the authorities are demolishing
hundreds of acres of slums. Bharat Dhupar works
for a property developer. With such a beautiful view, you still have a lot of slums left
to be cleared. These poor neighborhoods are home
to 50 percent of Mumbai's population, but their resourcefulness and ingenuity
has helped them to survive. These shanty towns
are expanding to the north. The city is growing at such a rate that it is having to encroach
upon the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, home to many wild animals,
including leopards. They are venturing
into the new neighborhoods built on the edge of the forest. The number of attacks
has shot up in recent months. Remains of her body were found,
part of her arm. Far from the slums, Mumbai is also a city
of dreams, especially thanks to Bollywood, its glamorous film industry,
which produces nearly 2,000 films a year. Downtown trendy neighborhoods are booming,
such as Bandra. This is where Janita set herself up
as a model and businesswoman. To be honest, Bombay is a city of dreams. Amid the people of Mumbai's thirst
for success and the battle for survival, the sprawling megalopolis
is the symbol of the Indian dream. The biggest slum in Asia
can be found in the heart of Mumbai, the Dharavi slums. One million people crammed
into just under one square mile. A population density
20 times higher than that of Paris. The electricity grid is precarious. Water is only available
for two hours per day. The sewage system is non-existent. Behind its obvious poverty,
the slum is packed with enterprise. It is home to thousands of businesses, small auto-repair shops
where workers cut car parts, or even make clothes. Turn around,
turn the other way, and reverse. Mahesh is 27 years old. He grew up in Dharavi. This morning he received some goods
that are very valuable to him, some plastic containers. All right, who is helping me offload? We're going to get in
and then get everything ready. Who is emptying the truck? Mahesh has found a way
to become rich by clearing Mumbai of its garbage. Before, Mumbai was very dirty,
there was mud and plastic everywhere. Through recycling,
we have cleaned up the city. We take the bottles
that have been dumped all over the city, bring them here, and recycle them. His recycling business
supports 25 employees. For 200 rupees a day, which is around $3, the workers sort the plastic waste
according to color and various other qualities. With white plastic for example,
you can make 15 to 20 rupees per kilo. This enables us to pay our employees,
electricity bills and building fees. We can even save up some of it. Once separated, the plastic is crushed. For $6 a day, these men stick their hands
into this machine without any protection. Then the bags of pellets are sent off
to wholesalers to be processed. Have you finished
or is there still some left? Is it all done? In Dharavi, 12,000 people
work in the plastics industry. Sixty percent of the city's plastic waste
is sorted here. The Dharavi neighborhood is a very large district
where people work. Nearly everyone here has a job
and earns a living. Despite the taxes that put many businesses
at a disadvantage, we manage to survive. People eat well. Thanks to his work,
Mahesh earns $600 a month. This is the average wage
for those in Mumbai, but ten times higher
than in the rest of India. He lives near his factory with his parents
in this 54 square feet room. Yet Mahesh is content
with these difficult living conditions. Over time, Dharavi has changed a lot,
and our living conditions have changed. Before, we lived in wooden houses,
now we have solid walls. We took out lots of loans
to build this house. You see, we have water,
electricity, everything we need. In fact, Mahesh and his family
own this entire house. To climb to the first floor, you have to climb a ladder
with the help of a rope. This floor is also part of my house,
we rent it out. All these here are tenants,
they pay us rent. They've been working here a long time. The second floor
is also rented to workers. Finally, a sewing workshop
is situated on the top floor. These three rentals
bring Mahesh $240 a month. Dharavi's informal economy
generates over $800 million each year. This resourceful spirit
fascinates people across the world. This is where the movie
Slumdog Millionaire was filmed. Since this success,
tourists come from all over the world to visit its maze
of garbage-strewn alleys. Some take the opportunity
to do some shopping and experience the local color. Like in this leather shop
at the end of this alleyway, it sells leather goods
branded with the name of the slum. -How much is this?
-3200. This visitor from China
is taken aback by the city. Here it feels like
in a normal commercial area. They are smiling. I'm surprised by the ability
of human beings to survive in a really harsh environment. It's suede leather, it's 3,500. Imran, the 29-year-old boss,
sells the bags himself. $50 and we accept
card, dollar, and euro. Every type of money here. -Don't worry about cash.
-$50. Proud of his brand of leather
that bears the name of his neighborhood, Imran is full of ambition. Are you okay? How's it going? It's a slum,
but it's a different type of slum. It's like a small-scale industry. People are not doing crime here,
people are doing struggling here. It is looking for the success. We also try the same like that,
and it's our goal. If we see our brand
also Dharavi brand in future it's top of like Michael Kors,
Jimmy Choo, top of them. In total, Imran employs around 40 members
of staff to tan and color the leather. Is everything okay? Imran's father, Wahas,
is the man behind this incredible success. Forty years ago, Wahas fled Uttar Pradesh,
a poverty-stricken region in northern India
with dreams of a better life in Mumbai. I worked hard, I didn't have a choice. My arms hurt so much
that I couldn't sleep at night. I was extremely poor. I arrived from my village
with just 100 rupees to my name. However, by working hard,
putting in lots of effort, we got where we are today. Wahaj's life is like a fairy tale. Five years ago,
he and his family bought an apartment on the top floor
of this modern high-rise building located in the middle of a shanty town. They paid $360,000
for this 750-square-foot space with breathtaking views
of the city. This is a master bedroom
for my father and my mother, and we have one small bedroom
for me here. Come, I show you. and you see the decoration,
I keep very honestly and very hard working on it
to make this house. Today, Imran, his wife,
their three children, and their parents make up 20 percent of Mumbai residents
with access to running water. We have 24-hour water here. Is it a dream come true? Yes, my dream come true. The young entrepreneur
from the slum is proud to have entered the exclusive circle
of privileged Mumbai residents. Most of the celebrities and politicians
are living on the top floor, mostly because they have lots of money. It is a sign of success. It is a dream of many people to live
in an upscale on the top floor. In Mumbai, the richer you are,
the higher you live. Down below, the city is suffocated
by pollution and the noise is constant. Life is much calmer at the top. The most affluent residents
can gain access to this tranquility from their upper-floor apartments
in high-rise buildings. One of the richest people in the city
lives on the top floor of this skyscraper. How are things in London? Babulal Varma
is a successful real estate broker. He lives in this lavish
2,700-square-foot apartment with his wife and two children. Dinner's ready! Every morning
the servants prepare breakfast. Sit down here. Babulal is originally from Rajasthan. He moved to Mumbai around 20 years ago,
captivated by the city's dynamism. My construction is my family business. My father, my forefather, I think we have been in this business
for the last 100 years. If you go in Rajasthan,
you can see the big palaces, that were built
by my great-great grandfathers. How and why did you decide
to come to Mumbai? Mumbai is a growing city
and we all want to grow, and I think
the opportunity in Mumbai is huge. In 2003, Babulal built
his first residential high-rise. These days, the property developer works
on multiple projects across the city. Okay, it's great
that you're starting early. We are doing a lot of high-rise buildings. I think as a group with my partners,
we are doing 35 buildings, more than 50 stories. According to you,
is it a necessity to build higher? Yes, it is a necessity
because we have no space in Mumbai. I told you
that there're three sides of water, if you want to grow the city,
the population is increasing every day, then you have no other way
other than to go up only. To compensate for this lack of space, Babulal has a drastic solution,
demolish the hundreds of acres of slums. We have started demolishing this. It is touching the bridge. If you come one or two years later,
a beautiful building will be here. His ultimate goal is to tear down
the Dharavi neighborhood. I think we all know
about the Dharavi Slumdog Millionaire. It is hot in the city. If your heart is a little bit not proper
and it looks dirty, as a city, it doesn't look nice. Babulal is the head of Omkar,
one of India's leading companies, on what is known as slum rehabilitation. It employs
more than 800 members of staff. Mister Palival is here,
would you like a hotel? This morning,
the realtor summoned his management team to provide an update
on one of their biggest projects. This has started? That too? The only thing left to do
is that bit at the top, the rest is fine. Yes, but we have to move the school,
our problem is the school. Before beginning
this colossal construction work, Babulal and his team
must convince the residents to leave. We are clearing the slums
that is a 65-acre big slum pocket and mixed-use project Candor Mall commercial office, residents, and retail. Babulal has already wiped out
hundreds of acres of slums. The discussion
we just had was interesting, but we need to rework, okay? One of his biggest projects
is in Malad in North Mumbai. He is building
four 820 feet high skyscrapers on the foundations
of what was once a slum. It will be a residential complex
intended for the emerging middle class. At the bottom of the buildings, this showroom plays host
to a constant stream of potential buyers. It will only take five minutes. Raj owns a printing business. He has come here with his wife
and daughter. The visit starts with a promotional video. They are sold an idyllic way of life,
a green oasis, a breath of fresh air that seems far
from the hustle and bustle of the city. What you see in this video
are the exact views you will have. The panorama will be exactly the same. Raj and his family
are visiting a model apartment. This is a three-bed apartment. The living room
is the most important place in a house. It's where we spend most of our time, which is why we have designed it
as luxurious as possible. Raj appears to have been won over. At the moment,
he is living in a two-room apartment. His daughter has to sleep
in the living room. This is not a balcony, obviously,
this is a connecting deck. The apartment is 560 square feet. Three bedrooms, three bathrooms,
and a fully fitted kitchen. Something of a novelty
for this emerging middle-class family. Five toilets in your house. I've always dreamed of a house like this. It's all about the budget, and I think he will compromise on that. We are ready to move,
it alll depends on him. The family has fallen in love with it, but there's just one small hiccup,
the price, $780,000. Although it is still possible
to negotiate, Raj is going to wait a bit
before deciding. In the showroom,
Barrett, the CEO of the project, has just struck a deal with another client
on a $1 million apartment. I can give you a 36 percent discount,
and the next one's yours, how's that? Okay, yes, that's fine. These housing complexes
that offer a life of privacy are all the rage in India. Surveying the slums
at the foot of the buildings, Barrett is already thinking
about the next step. What I'm looking at is how much
of the area we have been able to clean up and how much is still left,
there's a lot left. With such a beautiful view, you still have a lot of slums
left to be cleared. In order to demolish the slums
and build new housing, the property developers
have to relocate the residents. They are required by law to do so. Basically, it's a scheme whereby
you basically want the slum people to get proper houses, we build proper houses for them
and rehabilitate them in those houses. What happens in the entire land, you have some houses
which you build for them and some houses you build and sell. That is how poor people
get houses for free, while as the remaining part of the land,
you are able to make houses and sell. What are the buildings that house
the former slum dwellers look like? In Worli, a central district of the city, there is another
one of Omkara's rehabilitation projects. Three 885-foot luxury high-rise buildings
and below apartment blocks built for former residents of the slums. Dilapidated,
they are only a few meters apart. A relocated resident talks to us, furious. We had supported the two builders,
Babalal Varma and his colleague. However, these property developers
have not been straight with us, look! How long have they been developing
this district for? They've been doing it for 12 years
and there is no road or garden. -Do you think that's okay?
-It's not right. Contrary
to the property developer's promises, there is no school and the shops
are still under construction. Three years have gone by
and politicians have said nothing, where can the poor people go? Our interview is cut short
by Omkara's public relations officer. He strictly forbids us
from seeking the opinions of dissatisfied residents. Our filming continues inside the building
under the close supervision of Suresh, their public relations officer. He has selected a family of six
that live in this two-room space of 312 square feet,
which they were given for free. We are now going to witness
a true exercise in public relations. Thinking that we do not understand
the language, the public relations officer dictates
his message to the father of the family. No thanks, not for me, I'm diabetic. You have to say: "When I was my son's age,
I grew up in the slums." My parents brought me up
as best as they could. However, I want my son
to have a better life than mine, and that will be possible,
thanks to Omkar. The man perfectly recites his speech. When I was young,
like him, I lived in the slums. Today, thanks to Omkar
and their beautiful housing, we are in the right environment for our child
to receive a proper education. Says that he wants to be an engineer. However, he doesn't want
to be an engineer, he want to become a police officer. This family can consider themselves lucky because not everyone
is entitled to new housing. To be given a standard
95-square-foot apartment, you have to prove that you have lived
in the slum for 20 years. What happens to the residents
who do not meet these criteria? They are moved
to the outskirts of the city. In commuter towns
such as Lallubhai compound, 50,000 people are crammed into
around 60 blocks of decrepit apartments. They were built just ten years ago. Wastewater is discharged in the canal
at the entrance of the neighborhood. These two buildings housed 200 families
originally from Dharavi who were forced
to relocate to Lalubhai eight years ago. Abdul and his family of six
live in this two-room apartment. The plot of land he occupied in Dharavi
was bulldozed by the authorities. After destroying everything,
they told us to come here. We had to fend for ourselves,
they did not help us. When they warned us, we weren't ready. They just destroyed everything
and forced us to move. In Dharavi, Abdul owned a business. These days he works as a delivery man
and earns half as much. We no longer feel the happiness
that we once felt in Dharavi. This family of scrap ironworkers
also miss their old neighborhood. Three separate generations lived together
in this 312-square-foot dwelling. This is my family and our home,
these are my things. Sardar is not happy with the authorities. I have nine children,
there are my parents, my brother, and his family. Altogether, there are about 16
or 17 people in my family. How can we live in a place like this? How do you all sleep here? Some of us sleep under the bed,
others on the bed, some sleep in the kitchen. It's certainly not easy. This slum rehabilitation policy
has displaced and verticalized poverty. This shortage of space
is only going to get worse as the population of Mumbai
is expected to grow by 8 million residents in the next 15 years. Every day,
1500 migrants from all over India settle in this sprawling megalopolis. Most of them carry out odd jobs. The labyrinth of small streets
and alleyways are brimming with barbers, dressmakers,
and street vendors selling spicy food. The most incredible workers
are those who deliver food on their bicycles. Dating back 130 years, it is the most reliable delivery system
in the world. Shankar, aged 23,
is what is known as a dabbawala, a packed lunch delivery man. There are 5,000 of them in Mumbai. Some of our delivery people
have had accidents, it's happened two or three times. So we are a little scared
of riding a bike. You also see people driving around,
cyclists, and bikers driving recklessly
along the road. Yes, it's pretty scarry. Once the packed lunches
have been collected at the customer's home, Shankar meets up
with his fellow dabbawalas. Give me the empty lunch boxes
and take the other three. Each delivery man has a delivery zone. They exchange lunch boxes
depending on their destination, and to do this, there's no need for a modern system
with advanced algorithms. -Where's this meal going?
-That one is CW. -Sorry?
-CW, it's for BKC. Each basket is marked with a complex code
of letters and numbers. The dabbawalas are illiterate,
but amazingly, they are able to decipher it. They are numbers
that we have learned to memorize visually. There, seven, two, one,
these numbers are written and that's how we recognize
the packed lunch boxes. This archaic system is foolproof,
the dabbawalas are almost never wrong. Harvard University even conducted a study to try and understand
how they pull this off. With £66 on the carrier
and the stifling 113-degree heat, each turn of the pedal is like torture,
so to keep himself going, Shankar sings himself a tune. We are the Mombay dabbawalas,
we are the dabbawalas! At exactly midday,
he reaches the first delivery point. This young accountant pays $12 a month
for Shankar's services. Why is it so important
for you to have a home cooked meal? The woman prepare them
with lots of enthusiasm and energy. It's fresh, it's hot
and it's really healthy, that's why we prefer home cooked meals. Shankar earns 12,000 rupees a month,
equal to $163. Let's go, hurry up, quickly,
we're going to miss the train. That's four times
less than the average wage in Mumbai. However, he didn't exactly choose
this demanding job as a dabbawala. It is passed on from father to son. My grandfather used to do this,
then my father joined him. Then I joined them and my father spent
around two weeks showing me how to do it. I learned little by little. Each year, Shankar and his fellow
dabbawalas deliver 73 million meals. While some age-old traditions
persist in Mumbai, other parts of the megalopolis
are firmly focused on the future, like the neighborhood, Bandra,
situated on the Arabian Sea. With its tree-lined avenues
and green spaces, luxury stores, old colonial houses,
and elegant buildings, this haven of peace
is the neighborhood of choice for Bollywood actors and trendy artists. Perched on the roof
of this contemporary art gallery, 32-year-old Janita
is in the middle of a workout. I'm not perfect,
I know that, but I'm still learning. It took me years to at least come to this. Janita is part of Mumbai's high society. She has a career as a model
and influencer. She has nearly 90,000 followers
on Instagram. To be honest, Bombay is a city of dreams. Some people are actually lucky. If you find a way through
in whatever you want to do in your life, and that's where the city really helps. If you have the right contacts
and the right direction and the right experience. Before she starts work for the day, Janita likes to come
for a walk by the sea. One of the few places
in the city free from pollution. We are on a contour route, it's in Bandra,
obviously, it's called sea-facing. It's just so beautiful in the mornings
and evenings to be here, especially during sunset. It just feels like
a different place in Bombay. A year ago, Janita became a businesswoman. She launched a women's fashion brand. We have products like these,
the harness belts, the ankle-length boots, we've got bags
and all of it is vegan leather. Her modern creations are appealing
to more and more Indian women. In this still very conservative country, Janita is proud
to be bringing about change. There are now a lot of corporate women. They're more Westernized women. A woman in India
can actually carry an Indian look and turn and switch into this other woman
who is actually wearing a dress and a backless gown. That's the beauty of an Indian woman,
and Indian fashion. This morning, she has a meeting
with one of her business friends, Suren. -I'm good.
-I'm fine, thank you. Oh, my God, I've been waiting
to come and check this place. He has just opened this hip cafe, and Janita wants
to show him her latest collection. These are some of our products,
we do work… What do you have for men? Very soon there's going to be a surprise. Bombay is everything you want it to be. It's got a bit of everything,
so whatever you plan, it all works. It's about just presenting it rightly
and putting it out there, and she is Bombay. I don't know where I'm going
to see you next. In this city of endless possibilities, some French people are capitalizing
on this economic miracle. Just 330ft away, Antonia, Jeremy, and Pierre are attending
a strange ceremony. Pandits, Hindu priests
are blessing the new bakery of these three French people. This is called a puja. A Puja is a Hindu prayer. The aim is to bless the space, so they've come to bless the site
and bring good business. These three French people moved
to Mumbai ten years ago, attracted by the city's magnetism. They were met with incredible success. In addition to their bakery, these entrepreneurs
own a chain of restaurants offering organic and local products. It's a popular concept in Europe,
but in India, it is still a novelty. They created something
which is very unique and in terms
of the quality of the food is amazing, so we keep going
and also because they are amazing as well. They do it so effortlessly. You don't see any stress
or tension on them. You feel like they're running
like a whole empire. Good food, good people. Each day, these French entrepreneurs
check in on their businesses. To get from one establishment
to the other requires a lot of patience. It can take an hour,
an hour and a half to travel 12 miles. There's a lot of traffic,
you have to time your journeys well. Here, people are more flexible
on meeting times than in Paris. We've all got into the habit
of arriving a little late. We use it as an opportunity
to send emails, make phone calls. Personally,
I use this time to get some sleep. Holding our meetings
when the three of us together. The last restaurant they opened
is in Bandra Kurla Complex, a brand new neighbourhood
built on marshland. It is home to the headquarters
of large corporations such as Google, Amazon, and even IBM. This isn't the image people
have of the city. When they think of Bombay,
they think of small crowded streets. They don't see a picture
of a city like this, well organized with huge skyscrapers Yet this is exactly
what has been developed over the last few years. We have three restaurants here,
in this neighbourhood, and we will definitely set up
more of them, because it's a city within a city. I think there's something
like one million people working here. It's a very strategic location. Here, businesspeople, executives, and financiers
have greater purchasing power. They spend an average of $12 per meal. In comparison
to where we were this morning our clientele here are not necessarily
from the local neighborhood. They are office workers,
these people are on a very schedule, they're white collar workers. It's all quite corporate and serious. The 200 members of staff in the kitchen and dining areas of the French
entrepreneur's restaurants are Indian. They are part
of the emerging middle class. Darshan holds a clerical position. I started my kitchen two years back,
but I learned many things like different kind of bread
and a lot of things like sourdough. It was a new concept
here because I learned about organic food. What we serve here, it was really amazing,
it's a new opportunity for me also. Thanks to Mumbai's economic dynamism. There'll be one axis here
and one axis here. Jeremy, Pierre, and Antonia plan
to open around ten more restaurants in new neighborhoods. With the ever-increasing population, the city is pressing further
into protected natural areas. In the north of Mumbai, urbanization is causing serious conflict
between residents and wildlife. With an area of over 25,000 acres,
the size of Paris, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park
is surrounded by houses. The slums are inexorably moving further
into the wilderness. At night, leopards living in the park
venture into residential areas. They head into building lobbies,
and parking lots. They mainly go after dogs,
but occasionally attack humans. In the heart of the park,
Ranjit Jadhav has been keeping an eye on the leopard's movements
for seven years I think it's over there, this place. Ranjit is a wildlife photographer. His photographs are famous worldwide. Together with his colleagues, he retrieves the images
captured the night before by camera traps. Is it a baby or an adult female? It's a female adult. Further, further… By observing these images, Ranjit has concluded
that the felines are no longer afraid to move closer to resident's homes. We have got certain footage or pictures
very close to human settlements and pictures of people
also walking a few minutes after the leopard had gone from that. These predators lurking just outside
of Mumbai are a concern for the public. In Aray colony, a neighborhood
straddling the borders of the park, some 60 families live
in constant fear of being attacked. Krupa Tucker works
for the Department of Forestry. Come here to the front,
I'm going to talk to you children. I've told you to stop going out
after sundown, especially children. I hope you don't play outside at night. The locals are reluctant
to enforce these rules. We can tell children four
or five times not to go out and play. However, some of them ignore us. I tell my children time and time again,
but they do not listen to me. They want the local council
to install street lighting to help spot leopards at night. We need working streetlights
in the neighborhood. There are a lot of people who come home
from work after 10 pm at night. We have been complaining
about seeing leopards here for a month now. Nothing has been done,
not one street lamp has been installed. Sonu, Krupa's colleague
attempts to calm the anger of the locals. We will review your complaints
about street lighting, but you need to make changes
on your end too. The first thing is to make sure
that children are at home once it gets dark. However, the residents are calling
for a much more radical solution. We want the animals to be kept in cages. You see all these kids here? Why aren't you capturing the leopard? Are you waiting
for them to attack our kids, is that it? Even if we put out traps,
the leopards will not go away, others will come. To calm the anger of the locals,
the city has created a squad that is specifically tasked
with preventing these feline incursions. We are in the middle of the slums. Santosh Bania, the squadron leader, has just been called upon
by frightened villagers. Wild cats often come here to attack dogs. Carry on, it's a bit further. Santosh and his team
approach the area cautiously. Do you see their eyes? When you move the torch,
their eyes flash right away. Lift your torch a little higher. Those aren't dogs. Over there? Yes, they are dogs,
but the eyes behind, those are leopards. Despite the presence
of predators in the area, a man has come to meet the rangers. You shouldn't be walking around
by yourself at night. Don't go out like that,
always carry a stick with you. I come home from work at 10 pm sometimes,
sometimes even at midnight, and I walk. I'm afraid, but I have no other choice. Next time you're crossing the road,
play some music on your phone, it will keep them away. After a few minutes,
peace is restored around the buildings. Leopards are skittish animals,
the only attack humans as a last resort. They might attack young children
because they are prey of their size. However, otherwise, they prey on dogs,
they do not bother humans. The presence of the rangers
seems to have scared off the leopard. No, those are dogs, come on, let's go. Despite these words of reassurance, the number of attacks
has escalated in recent months. In Maharashtra,
the state in which Bombay sits, there have been 24 fatal attacks in 2020. Muthuvel and his wife
lost their daughter four years ago when she was eaten by a leopard. You see there, that is where it happened. That's where they found
my daughter's body. A leopard grabbed our child here
and took her over to the hill. Darshani, four years old at the time, was playing in front
of the family home at dusk. Her parents found the remains
of her body two days later. We found all the remains
of our child's body. There were pieces of her hands,
pieces of her legs. We also found her head,
she was wearing nail varnish. That's how we identified our daughter. I miss my daughter so much. Since this tragic event, Muthuvel
has been constantly on guard. As soon as I hear a dog barking,
I'm on high alert. I close the doors of the house,
I don't let anyone leave. The family is now very angry
with these cats that prowl the streets. We are angry, it's only natural,
we lost a child. I understand that it's an animal,
but she was our child. In the heart
of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park at the Leopard Rescue Centre, the rangers' lives are accompanied
by a soundtrack of constant roaring. Can we open this cage? It looks clean. Mukesh More looks after around 15 leopards
that have been captured by his team. Here, each cage houses a killer. The leopards here come
from the city of Nashik. They attacked people,
so we caught them using a trap. Did they kill children? Yes, they killed children. The adult leopard weighs
no more than around 130 pounds. However, it is an excellent hunter capable
of carrying a prey of 330 pounds. In areas close to cities, more than a quarter of their diet
comes from livestock or pets. According to Mukesh More, leopards are direct victims
of the region's rampant urbanization. In this conflict, I believe that it is humans
who are at fault. Humans should stay away from forests
and not take over animal habitats. This conflict between man and leopard
is likely to get worse in Mumbai. Well-fed, the leopards have perfectly
adapted to their cohabitation with humans. Their number has increased by 30 percent
over the last five years. Mumbai looks like it will continue to push
the forest back in the years ahead. By 2050, the Indian megalopolis
could become the most populated city in the world with 42 million inhabitants. Since we finished
working on this film, Babulal Varma, the real estate broker, has been incarcerated
under suspicion of fraud and embezzlement.
