Slumdog affected with Rabies!
A rags-to-riches story of a Slumdog is creating waves all over the Golden Globe.A well perceived plot adapted from the diplomat Vikas Swarup's novel "Q&A",Some spirited performances by the leads and extraordinary music by Rahman make the movie a highly recommendable one.
But is the movie the usual haughty foreigner's view of "The Other India"?Is the movie gaining the spotlight by showing India in poor light?Let us discuss some points regarding the movie:
1.Indians are serious movie buffs.Acceptable.But should this have been shown the ugly way by making Jamal jump into the shit hole?...Yuck!
2.Indian policemen are immoral to the core.They can arrest a young man without any semblance of an evidence and torture him with electric shocks.Bad portrayal!
3.The kidnappers who blind innocuous children and make them beg on Mumbai roads,Salim who joins the Don and does not give a damn about his brother's love,the young girl Latika being trained in a Prostitute's place as "cherry",the communal rioteers killing Jamal's mother,a young Salim holding a Colt in his hand...To top all this,even Anil Kapoor cheats writing "B" on the wet glass!
Come on Mr.Danny Boyle!Is there not a single Indianism or Indian to be portrayed as positive?The only Indian quality highlighted is "Luck"!You may point fingers that it was an Indian author who is the source of this film.But the novel had no shit,no communal riots,no Salim joining any Don,no blinding kidnappers....The novel was a honest portrayal of New India.Nowhere in the novel is the protagonist called a "slumdog".This movie is a self-proclaimed "realistic" view of India which looks at our nation with magnifying glasses finding faults throughout.
The only reason why i have a likening to this director is that he used Rahman.Till now underrecognised in World music,this movie is just the beginning for Rahman to showcase his enormous potential on the world stage.
I loved this movie as an ordinary film buff.But I hated it as an Indian.Am more an Indian than a filmbuff.
Jai Ho!!
thats very well said, in last sentence. Loved as ordinary buff, hated as an Indian. Same here.
ReplyDeleteAnd Welcome to my Blog ! It's an hounour to have you in my blogroll.
Umesh. Your blog this time, happens to be a reflection of my own feelings about slumdog millionaire. I liked it as an average movie buff, as an Indian, I loathed it, esp for the scene where an American Lady pays Jamal saying this is real america. I felt like swearin then. The only thing good about the movie is Rahman's music. I feel the movie itself is highly overrated.
ReplyDeleteRightly said umesh.It s a film made for the so called FIRST WORLD countries show casing our country in a very unsound condition.Gladly for us it has atleast helped ARR get global recognition,which he thoroughly deserves.
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