An IMDB rating of 8.5, IMDB Top 153/250; 17 wins & 13 Nominations; within 4 months of its release Slumdog Millionare’s Success speaks for itself; and it doesn’t need the credentials of a small time amateur part-timer critic like me.
Not sure if I should call myself lucky, cause I managed to “download” a DVD Rip of the movie via torrents, much before its scheduled theater release in India.
The rags-to-riches story of an Indian Street-kid who relives through his childhood as a contestant of the TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati & is accused of cheating through his way to winning the jackpot; A plot inspired by scores of Indian bollywood movies where the protagonist is in pursuit of true love; absolutely and bluntly ignoring his ordinary destiny.
A storyline set in India inspired from an Indian Novel with in the backdrop of an Indian game show; an Indian slum-dweller, his Indian Girlfriend; I frantically try to find out the international connection to Slumdog Millionaire; with the exception of the Direction and Production Crew; I failed to find any.
The movie is scheduled to hit India sooner or later; and soon there would be debates about whether this movie is the representation/face of India to the international audiences; alongside movies like Lagaan, Swadesh, Taarein Zameen Par & Chak De. However Slumdog unlike other movies is not the creative brains of “Indians” and neither depicts Indian Culture/Morals nor Patriotism imbibed into it.
The Director Danny Boyle was absolutely spot on with his homework; about the Bombay Slums, Indian Callcenters & the Indian Cops; his efforts are commendable along with the actors, have surely left an impression.
The reasons to as why the movie received such world-wide acceptance is beyond my analytical and intellectual skills to comprehend; the only possible reason being the English Transcript & the abstract representation of India as a third-world country; the slums, the poverty, child abuse, flesh trade, human trafficking.
This movie has won the hearts of people worldwide, and might receive the same kind of acceptance in India, however, if at all it qualifies as a true representation of Indian Cinema; only time will tell.
For People in Developed countries: 8/10
For People in third-world countries: 7/10
Agree with you ..
ReplyDeleteNo wonder the book never sold...
We have listened better from Rahman.. nothing special about Jai Ho or any of the songs..
Perhaps..this what the global audience wants to see about India.. a slum movie..with few Indian songs.. a typcal story line..but Importantly by a Gora director.