So what is this media frenzy all about? Slumdog millionaire has bagged 10 Oscar nominations and very desi Mr. A R Rahman has been nominated thrice under two award categories. But, is this achievement really worth celebrating. Take a nice and fine look at the movie and you will discover that movie does precious little to bring forth the reality of the subject. Slumdog in itself is a good cinematic creation but lacks the vigour or the intensity of real India. Set in the slums of Mumbai the movie tells the rags to riches story of a slum dweller only through vicious yet real satire. I don't have any problem with the slums, neither do i have anything to say against the satire and sarcasm in the movie. What disturbs me most is the deliberate attempt to pander to the whims and expectations of the West. Even after its stupendous growth, India is still perceived to be land of snake charmers and bullock carts by most in the west. The movie not in the perspective, but in the content and the presentation is surely an extension of the same idea.
India as a country is much more than just the slums and slum dogs. It sybolises the will to win, to survive, to thrive and to remain happy even in the worst of times. The movie highlights so many aspects of the slum life but is least concerned about the prospect of highlighting the way people live. It is only concerned about what becomes of them. But, don't we agree that if the end is the most important thing then all the human folk is reduced to the same whimpering mess. Men like Napoleon, Gandhi, Marx and many others are remembered by mankind for how they lived, rather than how they perished. People have to realize that every person in this world is born to face difficulties. Only in the case of slum dwellers we notice them more because we have the opportunity to take some time out for ourselves. But, nevertheless these men and women stand testimony to the indomitable human spirit. The movie as it presents this scence is shockingly awful. The reality fails to bite and the satire falls face first. The emotions (well I was able to find little don't know about you) refuses to move and the plot is hardly an attempt to attain finesse. Debutant Freida Pinto has done her part but Dev Patel fails miserably at his attempt to emulate a slum dog. However, this is only the tip of the ice berg. The two best acting performances in the movie come from boys who are actually slum dwellers. It is shame that these kids are hardly a part of the promotion of the movie and I seriously doubt they would ever be able to watch their performances on the big screen just like we did. Ironies galore and so do fallacies, but there are certainly points where the movie appeals to the viewer. Rahman's music comes out top. It is rich, soulful and definitely conveys the message the movie fails to do. The other good thing about the movie is the choice of the sequences and the flawlessness with which they have been edited. But, every thing said and done it is only a movie about India and not an Indian movie. So India wake up and don't shrug this off with biscuits and the morning chai after a night of thinking. Decide how would you like to be seen in the future. The choice is all yours......
3 comments:
I guess we need some serious thinking here.Slum population in India has more than doubled in last two decades only.So why cursing a movie displaying it at international level, when we are at fault.Our government failed in its attempt to provide them suitable living conditions and our media has forgot about slums these days. You must have seen that most of the movies and tele serials in India these days are of rich falimies,it may be punjabi,gujrati or any other.
So i welcome this movie and Amitabh Bachchan's Comment on it as it has appealed us to think abt slum people.
I agree with Mr. Alok
What this movie has shown is not slums but the evils in the Indian Society. It seems as a pick and choose of whatever bad you can find in India.Slums also form part of that representation of India. Slums I consider, cannot be gone away within cities like Mumbai etc. where finding some space for living is a major concern though there have been many moves to resettle them. Yes, it takes ones attention to people in slums of india but those communities exist in each nation and society varying quantatively. The only thing i criticize here is the celebration of the representation of our nation s' plight.
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