Mumbai’s roots run deep. Its aboriginal Koli fishermen traded with ancient Persia and Egypt, the Chalukya dynasties left fabulous rock-cut temples at Elephanta Island, and the Portuguese picked it for a fortress in 1534. During the American Civil War it stepped in as the world’s major cotton supplier, and under British rule it became the primary gateway to India. It wasn’t until the 20th century that it ballooned into the global megacity it is today.

The novelist Gregory David Roberts has said that ‘more dreams are realised and extinguished in Bombay (Mumbai's former name) than in any other place in India’, and it is still seen as a city of opportunity by millions (20 of them, and counting). It’s this very Indian-dream, paved-with-gold, pixie-dust aura that brings hundreds of economic migrants to Mumbai every day.

Today, Mumbai is the playground of most of India’s millionaires – and we’re talking hire-the-Kardashians-for-your-wedding rich – ultra-wealthy tycoons with helipads, ballrooms and 27-storey homes. At the same time, 60% of its population lives in slums. It’s a city with cutting-edge nuclear reactors, where people still burn cow dung for fuel. It’s a runaway train ride through every echelon of Indian society: its curiosities and delights; its miseries and injustices; its grand aspirations and its grinding poverty.

Over and over again, people who've made Mumbai their home will tell you that to get used to the city is to love it. What they’re getting at is something to do with its heart and vitality. Because despite its difficulties, Mumbai is still a city of dreams – not least due to the presence of Bollywood, whose megawatt stars have taken the place of gods and goddesses for their followers. Turn up outside one of their swanky pads in Bandra of an evening and you’ll find a massive crowd of fans worshipping at the altar of their favourite star.

Take your pick between Gothic buildings and open-air laundry ghats; glittering malls and flea markets – no matter what you do here, life is the star. Ride the subway and you might have a baby plonked on your lap while a mother adjusts her sari, or watch a game of cards played on a briefcase. Jump in a taxi and you’ll enter a private world, curated with anything from mini chandeliers to disco lights and Hindu deities.

Avoid or escape is many travellers’ tactic when it comes to Mumbai, and it’s certainly intense. But if immersing yourself in local life is part of why you travel, there’s nowhere better to visit.