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Slumdog Millionaire- Movie Review
Disclaimer: I am writing in here only on the "creative" & "entertaining" aspect of the movie.
Slumdog Millionaire is a well made movie and I really liked it. Half of my friends apprehensively calls it as an “anti Indian” movie.
Yes, in the beginning I too was apprehensive about its “entertainment quotient” and took tickets with lesser interest, but cut to 1st two scenes, I began to like the theme. I could not understand that why certain people esp. one of my favorite actor Mr. Amitabh Bachchan has disapprovals towards this well narrated, work of fiction. But the simple reasons for why I liked this movie are-
- The plot: the brilliantly interwoven tale of a slum dwelling boy, his struggle and the striking correlation between his life and every question on his journey through the millionaire trail.
- At least, it had a story guys!!! A cohesive story sans larger than life characters
- The real to character performance by all actors esp. the three stages of Jamal
- The guided tour to Taj
- The interesting translation of 3 musketeers towards grand finale
- No flashy showbiz, just a honest effort to tell a story
- Happy ending where you walk out a theatre with a happy feeling
Phew pals, it was just a movie and a work of fiction and just a representation of some characters in a slum and not the entire country. Unless I turn a nerdy, moron jingoist tomorrow, under no circumstance I would allow myself to believe that one tiny of movie can ever represent my entire country.
It’s like giving it unnecessary spankings, allegedly for being a mass destruction of all the achievements and glory India has ever stood for, locally and globally.
It’s like letting people accept that we do not have JRD Tata, Ratan Tata, Vinod dham, Narayan Murthy, LN Mittal, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Azim Premji, Preeta bansal, Dr. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Dr. BK Sethi, Mahatma Gandhi, Lata Mangeshkar, Dr. V kurien, Dr. Abul Kalam Azad, Vikram Sarabhai and an endless list of Indians to be devoid of their achievements of giving a good picture of India.
It’s like approving that when our stupidly air brushed actors, wearing skimpy cloths dance around the foreign locales singing- You are my vada pav and the works, is a better representation of the country and it’s creative culture??!!??
It’s like assuming that if an Indian director makes a crude movie like “Matrubhoomi” or “Kamasutra”, it could be boasted of creative brilliance. But when a foreign director well narrates a story based in India, he is creating a wrong image of the country?
It’s also like fuelling a misconception that since Mr. Ramalinga Raju masterminded one of the biggest scam in India [Satyam], all India based companies are fraud too. Phew!!!
It’s also like concealing a dirty wound instead of healing it. And then denying the existence, gravity of the sore and letting it grow like gangrene.
Come on, let’s grow up. And tell the same to the world who after watching the movie mistakes our country to be only a replica of what portrayed in Slumdog. It was just an art of story telling and not all stories are so pleasant to see.
Just accept it buddy, this movie had bought that International acclaim what our big budgeted, even big hyped productions failed to achieve.
From Monsoon wedding to Lagan to Black to Devdas to TZP, only hype & controversies surrounded bollywood’ entry to Oscars. From the big stars to even bigger controversies, almost everyone boasted about their art & cash collection figures to big world of Oscars and international acclaim. But alas! None of them could shake much as they stirred.
Until one fine day a man from west travelled to the “slums” of Mumbai and found its million dollar baby, an absolute underdog to the bollywood over the top biggie wiggies [ No denials that some of ‘em do entertains as well]. While the world was busy alluring about Big B-hood and ‘K’ovetable Khan clan, a certain Mr. Anil Kapoor, underplayed and silently stole the thunder under everyone’ nose.
But does that say that Bollywood cannot make pleasant sounding stories and sweep off the red carpet? No, it certainly can. Or does it convey that all our Hindi movies aren’t worth a thing? No, they certainly are. The idea is to get novel and be constructively creative!!!
Six months down the line, people will forget Slumdog millionaire. But one shouldn’t forget the lessons learnt out of this film. The lesson that the 3 lead characters and their story gang tried to convey. The lesson that even the slums of India can reproduce millionaire which even the more blessed societies cannot.
Jai Ho!!! To the UNDERDOG Millionaire!!!
Yes, in the beginning I too was apprehensive about its “entertainment quotient” and took tickets with lesser interest, but cut to 1st two scenes, I began to like the theme. I could not understand that why certain people esp. one of my favorite actor Mr. Amitabh Bachchan has disapprovals towards this well narrated, work of fiction. But the simple reasons for why I liked this movie are-
- The plot: the brilliantly interwoven tale of a slum dwelling boy, his struggle and the striking correlation between his life and every question on his journey through the millionaire trail.
- At least, it had a story guys!!! A cohesive story sans larger than life characters
- The real to character performance by all actors esp. the three stages of Jamal
- The guided tour to Taj
- The interesting translation of 3 musketeers towards grand finale
- No flashy showbiz, just a honest effort to tell a story
- Happy ending where you walk out a theatre with a happy feeling
Phew pals, it was just a movie and a work of fiction and just a representation of some characters in a slum and not the entire country. Unless I turn a nerdy, moron jingoist tomorrow, under no circumstance I would allow myself to believe that one tiny of movie can ever represent my entire country.
It’s like giving it unnecessary spankings, allegedly for being a mass destruction of all the achievements and glory India has ever stood for, locally and globally.
It’s like letting people accept that we do not have JRD Tata, Ratan Tata, Vinod dham, Narayan Murthy, LN Mittal, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Azim Premji, Preeta bansal, Dr. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Dr. BK Sethi, Mahatma Gandhi, Lata Mangeshkar, Dr. V kurien, Dr. Abul Kalam Azad, Vikram Sarabhai and an endless list of Indians to be devoid of their achievements of giving a good picture of India.
It’s like approving that when our stupidly air brushed actors, wearing skimpy cloths dance around the foreign locales singing- You are my vada pav and the works, is a better representation of the country and it’s creative culture??!!??
It’s like assuming that if an Indian director makes a crude movie like “Matrubhoomi” or “Kamasutra”, it could be boasted of creative brilliance. But when a foreign director well narrates a story based in India, he is creating a wrong image of the country?
It’s also like fuelling a misconception that since Mr. Ramalinga Raju masterminded one of the biggest scam in India [Satyam], all India based companies are fraud too. Phew!!!
It’s also like concealing a dirty wound instead of healing it. And then denying the existence, gravity of the sore and letting it grow like gangrene.
Come on, let’s grow up. And tell the same to the world who after watching the movie mistakes our country to be only a replica of what portrayed in Slumdog. It was just an art of story telling and not all stories are so pleasant to see.
Just accept it buddy, this movie had bought that International acclaim what our big budgeted, even big hyped productions failed to achieve.
From Monsoon wedding to Lagan to Black to Devdas to TZP, only hype & controversies surrounded bollywood’ entry to Oscars. From the big stars to even bigger controversies, almost everyone boasted about their art & cash collection figures to big world of Oscars and international acclaim. But alas! None of them could shake much as they stirred.
Until one fine day a man from west travelled to the “slums” of Mumbai and found its million dollar baby, an absolute underdog to the bollywood over the top biggie wiggies [ No denials that some of ‘em do entertains as well]. While the world was busy alluring about Big B-hood and ‘K’ovetable Khan clan, a certain Mr. Anil Kapoor, underplayed and silently stole the thunder under everyone’ nose.
But does that say that Bollywood cannot make pleasant sounding stories and sweep off the red carpet? No, it certainly can. Or does it convey that all our Hindi movies aren’t worth a thing? No, they certainly are. The idea is to get novel and be constructively creative!!!
Six months down the line, people will forget Slumdog millionaire. But one shouldn’t forget the lessons learnt out of this film. The lesson that the 3 lead characters and their story gang tried to convey. The lesson that even the slums of India can reproduce millionaire which even the more blessed societies cannot.
Jai Ho!!! To the UNDERDOG Millionaire!!!
Posts
Maybe if you live in India it doesn't matter as much. But living in a foreign land, we do go through few round of questions from the westerners where they actually believe that India is like that today all over. So it is that myth which upset the Indian people.
ReplyDeleteYou feel the world (within or outside the country) wants to know about all the people you mention or even any part of the gleaming part of Mumbai.
ReplyDeleteNO they don't.
Go to villages where the maximum live in abject poverty, they care less about the luminaries in business, sciences, politics, medicine, law, engineering etc.
People only care about survival that's all and so does the whole world and if it reflects on the country so be it, that is the truth, with so many luminaries in the country the maximum people in the country live in depravation even in the land of Gandhi ?
The matter written here is solely for the discussion of "Entertainment factor" of the movie.
ReplyDeleteFor political agendas and discussing Indian Poverty all the time and while doing nothing substantial to work on it, pl visit www.keep-unnecessarily-harping-illogically-carping-while-doing-nothing.com
Good Day!!
:-)
Dear Anonymous
ReplyDeleteI understand your concerns & agree too. I certainly do not admire Mr Boyle to show such shrewd representation of India to west.
In fact last week while re thinking over the disapproval made by a very dear friend of me, i realized some shrewd manipulations by makers. But i let it aside expecting it will embarrass Indian Govt and powerholders for letting such things happening around. I was shocked to my guts, y'day when from PM to president lauded over the Oscar win.
The given post was just for the movie' creative Quotient. For Indian perspective, Just wait for my new post on same.
Once again, appreciate your feedback. Keep posting and it will be great to see your name next time :-)