Slumdog Millionnaire – an ode to Bollywood and Western Cliches

Finally I succumbed to the intense hype around the Slumdog Millionaire and especially regarding the music of A.R Rahman winning the Global Globe. Before I go into details about what I thought about the movie, I will say one thing, the movie was engaging even if I do not consider as the most classic movie of the year.

The plot is about a 18 year old slum kid who works as chai wala in a call centre knows all the answers to questions in KBC because each answer lies in his past experiences in life.

Reasons why the movie worked for me

• A. R Rahman demonstrates a wonderful range in his score, an amalgamation from pure western tracks, gangster rap to Ringa Ringa – an unabashed tribute to Lakshmikant Pyaarlal's Choli ke Peeche.

• The kids who play the role of slum kids in the beginning of the movie are simply adorable and make it seem so real

• Anil Kapoor although with a limited role as the game show host who cannot accept the chaiwallah making a fortune, the insecurities, fake friendliness and underlying prejudice was very convincing.

Reasons why the movie did not work for me

• It puts in all the cliches the western world perceives India is all about- the slums, rioting, tourists getting ripped off, the Taj Mahal and off course their latest pet peeve Indian call centres

• The story is too sugary with all villains miraculously getting punished and the guy gets the girl against all odds and he doesn't even care about the millions he makes in the process. If it was a true blue Hindi movie, people would have taken much more pot shots about it.

• Dev Patel who plays the 'slumdog' seems way too sophisticated and his British accent doesn't add credibility to his performance at all.

• The character of Salim the elder brother is very quirky and uneven he plays the role by being Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to bring twists to this movie and deliver the final happy ending.

In summary, it is a good old Hindi Potboiler which would make any Bollywood director proud while pandering to the stereotypes which the West thinks about India. It does make a valid point about how the slum kids in India actually face life in passing. The entire thin plot is summarized which also explains why this movie has become such a phenomenon probably it was destined to succeed.

Because It was written ….

P.S : I would really glad if an Indian movie would succeed in the global market without it having to rely on the poverty and dark side of India society but showcase India as an emerging superpower.

Some Things are learnt Better with a Bloody Nose

The last couple of weeks of December was a wonderful vacation back home, so I even took a break from blogging so as to completely stay clear of any sort of mental exertion. I guess considering how 2008 panned out, not many people could say happy new year with any sort of conviction or happiness. It was not just the shadow of the Mumbai Terror attacks but a series of catastrophes plaguing Mother Earth this year. As just a recap how the giants tumbled this year and how the ground shook below our feet.

U.S

The adage if US sneezes the World catches a cold was stretched to the limits, sub prime crisis collapse with Bear Sterns, Freddie Mac and Fannie May meltdown leading the way for more disasters like Lehman Brothers and Merill Lynch collapsing virtually on the same day sent out tremors which will experienced for the great part of the near future. It was ironic, the economy which was earlier this year facing the pressure of high oil prices saw the drip in oil prices from $140 per barrel to fall below $40 per barrel in a matter of six months. I guess now packaged drinking water is much more costly than oil now in the United States now. The host of industries lined up for Federal Aid which including the ailing auto companies which most analysts are convinced are beyond help unless some urgent action is not taken again to reform the operations of the companies. In 2008, US did not any need an external enemy, the self inflicted financial terrorism took its own toll apart from its losses of troops and material in Iraq and Afghanistan.

China

This year, even China has its share of pain, although the impact of global recession on China has not discussed in detail so far, the direct human tragedy which was evident from the earthquakes which took place. Earlier in the year, Tibetan protesters were able to successful in utilizing the Olympics to show case their cause by disturbing the Olympic flame in certain nations and in the riots which took place reflected the underlying unrest in this mighty nation. The iron curtain style of controlling information regarding the milk contamination and the control on the Internet did not exactly cover China in glory this year.

India

India had its share of troubles this year, if the first part of year was marked with the increasing inflation and the serial blasts in several cities across the country was disturbing enough, the stock market crash was a terrible blow. Although Indian economy has strong fundamentals, the impact of global recession has began to show in the companies and in their HR policy. The Mumbai Terror Attacks was like the proverbial last nail in the coffin making this year immensely forgettable.

Well you can imagine how bad this year was, in cricket too, Aussies lost their aura of invincibility in losing first to the Indians and then to South Africa.

Not that it was a bad thing, on this perhaps slightly positive note let us look at the lessons from this year.

• There are events which are beyond our wildest imagination which can go horribly wrong
• No one is invincible and every body needs help
  
• Patience and staying united are key to finding solutions
  
• Goals must be set for the long term and ability to endure pain in the short term
  

Let us hope that 2009 is much better than the last year but if we do not learn from previous year, I am sure 2009 would not be much different as the title of the post goes, some lessons are best learnt with a bloody nose.Anyways the Satyam scandal is not exactly a perfect start to the year. To end on a positive quote, from a great movie, 'The Shawshank Redemption'

Fear can take you prisoner. Hope can set you free...