After destroying his older brother's motorbike in retaliation for his constant bullying, 11-year-old Krishna is sent to a traveling circus to earn money to pay for the bike's repairs, but soon winds up in the streets of Bombay's poorest slums. There, he befriends the drug dealer Chillum and young prostitute Sola Saal, while trying to make enough money at a neighborhood tea stall to repay his debt to his family.

Shafiq Syed
as Krishna / Chaipau

Hansa Vithal
as Manju Golub

Chanda Sharma
as Sola Saal

Anita Kanwar
as Rekha Golub

Nana Patekar
as Baba Golub

Anjaan
as Child at the Circus

Amrit Patel
as Circus Boss

Irrfan Khan
as Letter Writer

Raghubir Yadav
as Chillum

Raju Bernad
as Keera