Many debates, much anticipation, lots of discussion forums and group discussions on various tv channels- all pointing to one thing- love it or hate you cant ignore Slumdog! A bit like India wouldn't you agree?:)
I only want to say one thing here- best luck to Mr. Boyle good luck with the Golden Globes and the Oscars. I am glad you made this film. Its a good film on many counts, directed brilliantly and therefore, deserves the accolades. But, ofcourse there has to be a BUT, Slumdog Millionaire is not the India or Bombay I have ever been proud of. It’s not the India that should exist. It’s certainly not the brand of “Incredible” India I like seeing ’sold’ to the western world.
But it is entirely my problem, not Danny Boyle’s!
Rahman you rock! Never doubted that ever..all kudos to you:) Wish you loadsa international acclaim.
12 comments:
meenakshi
danny boyle was not commissioned to sell India
he as telling a story based on Q&A by Vikas Swarup
and he has told it well
i agree there is squalor and the seedy and grimy
but for me
there was hope and optimism and that is so india of today
so it rocked for me
because i was rooting for Jamal and for India!
mee, I so totally agree with you. the film doesn't package or reflect a comfy nice aspect of India, and like you rightly pointed out, its our problem. The director has done his bit and done justice to his expression. and yep its true that poverty of 3rd world sells in the west- they take to it so well, thats what makes them sit up and take notice of our world from their high stooled perches. sad but true.
good film. not sure how it will fare in india. india loves exaggeration and fanfare in its films and this is a reality check, this film. soon we shld know I guess...
its an honest and cultural representation. and the film is highly acclaimed
having said that, the film celebrates hope, love, bustling streets and basti in a real manner.
none of the bollywood films do that-isn't tat amazing? all bollywood does is escapism, or exaggerated reality. wonder why
Mr Bachaans remarks were a bit like sour grapes - would you agree mee?
Hey mee am waiting to see this movie - u wil have my verdict soon:)
I did see this movie in new york this weekend and must admit it was an eye opener.
Its an out an out fab movie. And I so completely agree with you - its our problem that we shy away from the India portrayed in the film. It exists and not too many in -ndia really care to narrow the gap between the rich n poor
Hey am not really sure if anything in life is uni dimensional. Everything is relative. SM is a winner in relation to the many other firang movies. So I think bachan and co shld take it easy, and be happy abt the fact tat their movies are super success given the domestic audiences they cater to! Its no mean task and they underestimate themselves by not patting themselves on their back
Its about hope all the way! Lovely:)
Slumdog has 10nominations at the Oscars! I mean is that great news or great news:)- I can bet it will sweep the film of the year and AR Rahman will be the hero:)- Runa
Many people are being subconsciously bullied by the media hype to actually like the film, fuelled further by the Oscar of ten nominations. Why can we allow ourselves to be mindlessly manipulated by the media in this way and not speak out about what we actually
think or feel about the film? It is a resolutely average film, there are no doubts on the musical score of A. R.Rehman's but the fact that he would be nominated for the oscar for this one, then by now he should have received 20 of them if this is the benchmark! The screenplay is so full of loopholes and the dance at the end of the film is so badly choreographed that it would have been lambasted if it was made by an Indian director. Actually the dance at the end sticks out of the film like a sore thumb. It does not ever grow out of any context. If western audiences can appreciate and actually patronize something so illogical and outrageous, their general contempt for 'Bollywood' cinema now seems a case of moral hypocrisy because the film is made totally in the Bollywood style with every possible form of illogical excess. There is not a second in the film that touches me emotionally or can even be considered as quality cinema. It is indeed
a heady mix of the worst variety of third world poverty, an internationally successful TV show, a rags-to-riches story and vintage Indian exotica. Even the geography is all wrong! I am not even talking about the display of poverty in the film which is a bit more complicated issue.
We know that contention - we must not wash our dirty linen in public -has come from the most conservative quarters in the entire history of cinema. Bachchan's blog-response can be perfectly understood in the light of the fact that he has been particularly made into the villain of the film, which was unnecessary in any case. (There is absolutely no doubt in the film whether Anil Kapur is playing AB.)
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