Slumdog Millionaire has everything what we Bollywood buffs crave for. It is what I was expecting and was happy to get! An illiterate slum kid from Mumbai to the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”! We emotional (read ‘sappy’) Indians just want to see him win. How is that for MASALA?
Though it’s an English movie but for Indians it does not defy the stereotype masala movies. This doesn’t mean Slumdog has nothing different to offer. It is presented with a different class. It is not Yash Chopra’s ‘Deewar’, Subhash Ghai’s ‘Khalnayak’, David Dhawan’s ‘Hero No.1’ or Akshay kumar’s ‘Singh is King’. It does the same thing though! It entertains with action, romance, comedy and thrill! But, here is what is ‘different’-
· ‘Action’ is intense and grim.
· ‘Romance’ is tormented by sexual abuse.
· There are ‘heartbreaks’ with contrasting black humour.
· There is ‘thrill’ which is present throughout!
· A ‘fairytale’ which opens with a torture scene and ends with a happy ending.
· Desire of wealth is stimulated by unpleasant poverty.
· Visuals and music are not run of the mill. They are astonishing, seductive and classy.
Dialogues are simple, crisp and intelligent. “What the hell can a slum boy possibly know?” shouts the snappy police officer and the response is “The answers!!” by the black-and-blue hero. He does not know all the precious answers simply because he is the ‘hero’. His knowledge to these answers has been justified by connection to either some prominent bitter-sweet memory or brutal events that haunted him in the past. So...‘how’ he knows these answers- is the structure of the film.
At times, though the concept seems unhinged. One wonders as to how a person from the slums speaks in English so fluently and on top of that he has a British accent! This does not take anything away from the director’s work! Boyle has handled Slumdog by panache. Some sequences like the murder of hero’s mother during a riot; a hilarious hand shake with Amitabh Bachchan and torture of fellow orphans by the cruel hooligans leave a lasting impact.
Dev Patel (Jamal) deserves accolades for his work. His performance is extremely realistic, as needed for the film. Irrfan Khan and Anil Kapoor don’t get a lot of scope to perform but make their presence felt and they handle their parts with flourish. The background score elevates the situations considerably. The visuals are strong enough to make the audience smell garbage heaps and feel for frowning homeless and orphans. The story, its execution, the performances, the drama... the product leaves you spellbound.To sum up, Slumdog Millionaire is an exceptional film in all respects. A maximum film!!!
_____ASHIM_____
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ReplyDeleteI don't like this film. it shows our country in such bad light. Apart from Jamal and a touch the actress, there isn't a positive character in the film. For an outsider who hasn't been to India, it portrays an absolutely demeaning picture. There is this sequence when American tourists shell out 20 $ bills for a guy who was hammer n tongs over the kid guide. They labeled it 'the American way'. India wallops its kids and American can't stand that. Bull Crap !! America too has a number of domestic child abuses, but do we don't see it in Hollywood movies screened internationally- let alone a director from another country trying to make a movie out of it. The only place they talk positively is when Jamal's brother says, India is at the center of the world today. Barring that it's like a 'love story in a rat hole?'. The camera work was amazing and AR Rehman let his genius out. However the absolute disregard shown for Indians in the film robbed my liking for it.
ReplyDeleteIt has always been like this. India in bad light always appeals to westerners. Last time they loaded accolades on an Indian film maker was when Satyajit Ray showed a dog and villager eat from the same plate.
Try watching 'Darjeeling Limited'. It's about three brothers who travel to India to see their mother who teaches kids. The film maker did a fabulous job of showing respect for the country he was trying to picture. He may not be as talented as Boyle but he has my respect.
Nikhil: Well, if we actually look at most of the RGV underworld films, they show nothing but the slums and lawlessness of this country.. to expect Slumdog Millionaire to show things in a "good" light just because it has been made by a foreigner is kind of like having double standards. By the way, Slumdog is based on the novel Q&A, by Vikas Swarup.. and he's an Indian.
ReplyDeleteNikhil, your spot on. I have a problem with a foreigner making a movie in Indian slums. Wouldn't have bothered if any of our directors made it. I guess there is nothing wrong in that. If people in your house tell you what's going on show it to you one doesn't mind. But i sure have a problem with an outsider trying to show me the dirt in my house and the rest of the intl community celebrating that. But thats just me. Having said that, i do agree its a very well made movie. Had it been shot in any other country i would have loved it.
ReplyDeleteif ever we needed some evidence for the fact that indians cannot laugh at themselves its right here..to say that the movie shows india in bad light is just not fair. the movie shows reality..whether we like it or not..it does not exaggerate it..there a certain beauty, vibrance and zest for life even in the slums and the movie portrays it better than any hindi movie ever made..to say that hollywood does not show any american dirt is ludicrous..if you ever lived in middle america you will realize that whats on display in hollywood movies if far from the actual truth!! but people here are mature enough to understand that its a work of art and should be evaluated as that..in every interview that danny boyle gave in the western media he made a special mention of the warm welcome he received in mumbai and how he was fascinated by the way people go about their life..none of our esteemed bollywood directors ever came close to achieving this. enough has been said about the technical brilliance of the movie. more than anything its a story of hope..something that makes you come out of the hall with a smile on the face..which is more than what we could ask in these times!
ReplyDeleteNikhil: Well said Aniruddha.. the poverty in India is a fact.. whether some outsider shows it to the world or we point it out ourselves.. doesn't make any difference. Anybody could just step into India and see it for themselves. Anyways, the movie isn't about this filth and dirt, its about love and success.. all this talk about the 'image' of India is nothing but our insecurity talking.
ReplyDeletesixty year olds in florida call mushraff a cow. They know the world thru their theater driveways. The movie is great and the music superb. there aren't two ways about that. But I won't like a westerner to see the slums and rot in india. Call it insecurity, double standards or any mumbo jumbo. fellas i speak for myself. I don't say the movie is bad. its just that i didn't like it.
ReplyDeleteand by the way Boyle is gay
well i didnt mean to offend anyone..and it is true that india doesnt go beyond snake charmers and elephants for most americans atleast. i guess there is better awareness in europe. but its just heartening to see india getting noticed finally and have some representation in movies..it was wondeful to see anil kapoor/irfan khan getting the recognition that they seldom receive in the bachchan/shah rukh obsessed bollywood..and freida pinto and dev patel carrying themselves with poise on letterman/jay leno/today show and the golden globes..so i dont mind the filth and the squalor shown as long as theres an underlying take home message..hopefully now films based in india will be taken seriously and that will provide us with an opportunity to depict the other sides of our culture too..mumbai is not so shallow that one movie can tarnish its global reputation. i have spent considerable time in mumbai and the daily life in the city has been depicted beautifully..and finally someone steppped outside the film city to shoot a movie too..
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