Slumdog Millionaire - The Claps and Cries

Oscars 2009: Slumdog Millionaire wins eight Academy Awards!

And becomes the talk of the city! And lots of claps and rejoices! And some criticisms coming onto surface as well. 

iKolkata intends to introspect the reality! Read on!

Pre-release!

Another Mind blowing A. R. Rahman composition "Jai ho!" rocked the city! And introduced Slumdog to us!

Here is the full transcription of the lyrics and English translation at Inkspillz blog! Awesome work! 

A debate on use of the word "dog" in conjunction with slum dwellers seemed to hit up the air! Kids organized rally in protest. 

This was a pre-release campaign - "THE FEEL-GOOD FILM OF THE DECADE" Slumdog Millionaire by Danny Boyle. 

And a snippet of synopsis in the official Website! "Jamal is a story of modern India"! 

Now who is Jamal?

Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an eighteen year old Mumbai slum kid, is the would-be winner of a staggerring twenty million rupees hit TV Show contest, "Who wants to be the millionaire?"

Latika (Freida Pinto), an orphaned girl, Jamal comes to care for, and to love later on. 

Jamal participates in twenty million rupees contest and surprises everyone to reach the final question.  The show host, Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor) refuses to believe in Jamal's ability. Prem Kumar already has Police waiting outside to arrest Jamal for cheating.

Police inspector interrogates Jamal only to find out how Jamal has come to know all answers. And we come to know about the interesting life story of Jamal, a slum dweller!

The Awards:

(1) Slumdog Millionaire Oscar 2009 Best Film 

(2) Danny Boyle, Best Director

(3) A R Rahman for the Best Original Score 

(4) A R Rahman for Best Original Song Jai ho

(5) Resul Pookutty for Best Sound Mixing.

(6) Simon Beaufoy, Best Adapted Screenplay

(7) Chris Dickens, Best film editing

(8) Anthony Dod Mantle, Best Cinematography

So, Indians have every reason to feel glorious!  But are we really responding to this big event that way? Probably, there's an element of confusion! There's a big doubt. Is it an Indian movie? Though admittedly directed by British Director Danny Boyle, Slumdog seems to be very much Indian in nature in terms of its presentation. It is more like any other Bollywood musicals. Besides, the plot itself is based on India.  The cast is also Indian or Indian origin.  This is what one Lekhni has to say in a blog entry. 

Accused for being "poverty porn"  the feat of Jamal gets glorified because of his background, the Dharavi Slum located in the suburb of Mumbai, India, where the reality is a nightmare! But Jamal comes across all obstacles to win the contest.  That's what Mr. Rahaman has pointed out - "The power of hope in our lives...". 

It should be noted that Slumdog is a movie and not a statement of the Developed nations about India. Western world is well aware of economic developments in India, and their recent studies suggest that India is going to be a giant economy by 2035.  

Above all, the movie is based on a novel written by an Indian bureaucrat, Mr. Vikas Swarup, entitled "Q & A". Simon Beaufoy wrote the script after a lot of field works based on "Q & A". A note from Simon Beaufoy regarding his goal for the script worth a mention -  "What you pick up on is this mass of energy."

And this is how Mr. Rahaman summerises the subject: "The essence of the film is about optimism and the power of hope in our lives."

Let's celebrate! Let's celebrate! Let's celebrate!

And the Interview with Danny Boyle

What was shooting in Mumbai like?

The city is in fast-forward economically. Even if it wasn’t, there would be so much going on. The people offer you up stuff all the time.

With A. R. Rahman:

I think it will create a bridge between Western and Indian audiences, and lead to more people exploring Indian music.

With Resul Pookutty:

The essence of the Mumbai was captured in its true spirit, in tough conditions. 

With Simon Beaufoy

I think this is a film about hope and overcoming the impossible. That's kind of the flavor of the movie.