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.
well written gans.. i completely agree.. i see the same perception everywhere here in the UK.. this is the best way to encash a movie.. show the slum side of the movie n thers entire foreign world to buy it! even our indians r not far behind in this case.. take the White Tiger by arvind adiga.. the man won booker prize for portraying the so called real side of india..
ReplyDeletealas! i guess it vl always b a dream that any director vl come forwd n vl show the better side of India and then goes till oscar.. that i guess vl b one tough journey..
yeah sandeep, the point is valid all the movies which get global recognition are these "look at the dark side" types movies like saalam bombay, fire, water etc and recently the white tiger as well.
ReplyDeleteIt is not that we are wishing away the poverty from our society and trying to paint only the rosy picture but the world should take cognizance of strides India is making and just have a human interest story without using the third world framework always
Good one bro...even I didn't appreciate it...I felt the story is being shoved down my throat...'because its written'...
ReplyDeleteI think the movie is about life in slums and I dare say, it would be more or less equally harsh in any other part of the world as it is here in India...Instead of looking it as a portrayal of India, it could be seen as a story of hope..of chance..of love..of triumph of good over evil..packaged in a novel way!
ReplyDelete@ Maverick - yeah the premise was way too flimsy especially the behavior of his elder brother salim
ReplyDelete@ Chaitali - Well i did not see it a story of hope it was luck going his way thats all. I did like the grit and grim of the slum kids in the start .... but then movie could have been set in the west ( with an Afro-American or Mexican which they did not for setting the India example ) like i said it was an engaging movie but i disagree with the stereotyping that is all !
sorry no comments on this movie but must say this post is very interesting and discussion as well...
ReplyDeletedear gans,
ReplyDeletesorry but don't agree with u on this one.
A) the west does have enough films and i mean a zillion ones portraying racism, poverty, their bad millitary ways etc. So that arguement that only india is portrayed like this does not hold water.
B) The director is not lying abt anything, board any local train in mumbai any train and you are sure to meet jamal and his friends.
C) that tourists get ripped in india is also true (hiding these facts will not exactly change them) take Goa and we have enough cases a lady raped by the mla's son, in mumbai i have seen a hundred cases of guides ripping tourists. (agreed that americans arent exactly friendly to us but that would be rather depicted in a movie abt america.)
Can we deny about the slums (read dharavi? Chunndabhatti? chembur? bandra? Chennai?) Can we deny the rioting? ( 1992? 1998? Gujarat riots?)
i think the movie depicts the truth its just that the filmmmaker has not bothered to smoothen the blows and he owes no one anything. If he makes a film about the US i am sure the americans will find it distasteful too.
Why i like the film?
the scene of cricket next to the airport (spot on)
the scene where the kid though covered with shit jumps with joy amitabh amitabh (a brilliant metaphor for our star crazy lives barely eaten in a week but milk poured over kushbhoo's photo)
the scene where the kids are blinded (any street in mumbai from amar mahal signal to churchgate are proof enough)
I agree the guy getting lucky, getting the money and the girl etc is kinda unbelievebale but i guess thats more his way of saying theres still an outside chance...interestingly the director has missed the caste based politics, the bribe way of things, and yes the entry of a stronger economy the progress of the metros, the malls the high rises he has missed them too.
lastly the anger that india is showing to me is clearly a sign that its the truth in these exagerations (if u may call it so) that is actually hurting us....
just my thoughts,
regards,
govindk
hey Govind,
ReplyDeletenice to see your comments bro ... and glad to see such a strong argument as usual. Like I said, I do not have a problem with poverty being a theme in a movie. But the issue is if a movie with India as backdrop as to be made then it is always the slums and invariably Mumbai in most cases.
A) If you see the Oscar Winners and Globe Globe winners in the US, you will find movies like Titanic,Gladiator,Beautiful Mind,Forrest Gump making the cut for the awards not hard hitting stories on racial prejudice,school shoots,Klu Klu Khan or even Sept 11. So it is not convenient to see their own self image.
B) The director is not lying about anything but at the same time he did not show one single positive aspect of the city, the slums and scenario he showed could have India of 1950, or even in the British Raj. There was no sign of the emerging India and also made fun of the Indian call centers. I would say it is a selective reporting which is a crime in my mind.
C) I do not deny the slum scenes were mostly dealt well and I agree India has lots to go before It can call it self developed. But the the Condescending attitude, the American tourist gives money to Jamal after been robbed "This is America" sums up the US attitude to India, so a poor destitute nation has managed to make some strides thanks to the knowledge of English ( as a result of lousy accent training and a fact a billion of them exist )
D) the point I want to make is selling Indian poverty in the name of serious cinema is good business, Salaam Bombay,City of Joy,Slumdog just follows the footsteps and breaks no new ground in that respect. The message is only luck can save Jamal and Latika nothing else. I do not think it is a tale of hope... Hope comes when a person can change the world by his skill/resolve not luck spoon-feeding him all the way
In summary, Slumdog is a clever movie which knows its audience well which is the Western World which is shaken by India's rapid growth and wants to draw comfort in its old avatar of poverty
man.. as usual your's is a classy review of the flick, but i don't agree with your view that SD is an attempt to sell India's Poverty to the world. The fact remain that though India is considered a emerging super-power, only a meagre few are enjoying its benefits (with politician and business tycoons topping this list). The massive rest of the country are still facing the wrath of greed,poverty, social exploitation. If there are 10 Narayan Murthy, there are 40 lakh Ganesh Jayaramans, there are crores and crores of Jamals, Latika and Salims in our "rapidly growing" country.
ReplyDeleteCome'on man its okay for Ashutosh Gowarikar to make Swades but not for a 'westerner' Danny Boyle to make SD?
i may have slightly contrasting views to the other comments, but I thought it was a well made movie definitely. From a creative standpoint, I thought the screenplay was gripping and well woven into the format of the game show.
ReplyDeleteBut I do agree that we need to have a movie that gets to the Oscars without having to depend on India's poverty.
However, this one got these nominations cos it was not a foreign film. We wouldn't have even made it to that category if it was an Indian film rather than one that is based in and on India.
TZP was a far better movie than this - in every aspect!
hey BKJ,
ReplyDeletethe purpose with which Ashutosh Gowarikar was much different from the voyeuristic pleasure of selling Indian poverty which Danny Boyle portrayed in his movie. Swades was about how modern India should not forget its roots and do its bit for Indian Society. Danny's India was all dark and no positive hues in the movie except for its luck.
@ Intrepid : I agree it was an engaging movie and I will be happy if AR Rahman gets an Oscar even though he has scored better music than this before. The movie succeeded because of the theme which resonates with a western audience and not necessarily something India needs to adopt as it own. The same problem happens when we want to adopt Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams and Bobby Jindal even if they are American Citizens who left the Indian shores long back...