Slumdog a millionaire

I happen to watch the English movie Slumdog millionaire almost two weeks back. I got to congratulate them for atleast making me go to the theatre!!(I am not much into going to theater to watch movie), tickets are quite costly in the malls, it is unbelievable but popcorn cost 50Rs!! (just couldn’t believe it when I first saw!!). While traveling I do watch movies but prefer smaller, older theatres. Malls are the same everywhere, they lack character or the local flavor. They are as if cloned or implanted, it is a shame. Most importantly it confuses me I have to tell myself I am in Bengaluru and not in Gurgoan or Pune!!. I am sure it must be same in London or Los Angeles. They call this development!!. The flip side of older theatres is that they are not maintained properly and sometimes infested with rats, cockroaches and yes prostitutes (want to get a quick job there?. This line I know atleast in five languages). I recall there was a theatre in Chennai decade back, now closed, next to the flyover opposite to American consulate that showed English movies and the rule was once you bought the ticket you could be in as long as you want to and they kept on showing the same movie again and again!!. It is anybody’s guess what happens inside!!.

Enough digression this blog is supposed to be about Slumdog millionaire!!. Well it is not an Indian movie but a movie made on India. That distinction is very important as also the fact that it is made by a foreigner. I absolutely loved the first part of the movie, the kids where fun to watch and they carried lots of energy and rawness. It is refreshing that they were chosen from real life situations and not from disgusting ads as is the case in incredible India. There is a scene wherein the kid jumps into pool of shit, quite funny that one. The slums and actions-the cacophony, the chaos were captured quite brilliantly. But soon the movie slips into bit of a caricature on Indians for western audience. The scenes that got me cringing was when the kids start to speak in English (you see we have to reach the drawing room of the West, the onus is on us-also referred to as enterprising), in India if you can speak such flawless English you have actually made it, ask any chatteriti in the subcontinent. It is easy to get a job or influence people if you know that much English (what do you think I am doing!). Suddenly the movie became more of babalogs fancy dress party, the reason probably it caught the imagination of some section in the mall. It is about falling into western narration. Wherein the reality has been so much mutilated that it no longer the reality. Atleast they could have worked on the script to give a context on how the kids caught the English, rather than springing it as something quite normal (further friends don’t start speaking in different language as they grow up in slums. They might with foreigners they meet in tourist spots!!). Frankly I was expecting a scene on Taj Mahal, it doesn’t strain the western audience, the clichés.

Western culture is more confession oriented (much to do with Christianity). Church’s place is now taken by media. The reason they have so much enthusiasm in making private public. If not you are hypocrite, the reason why certain western narration driven section (incidentally there is huge benefits here, getting the nod of richer powerful people) have stacked all modern values within this premise. Thus most Indians since they don’t express their private feeling in public are already hypocrites. You might call someone a dog (quite derogatory in this part of the world) but making a title of a movie is unthinkable. Thousands of movies are made here but you will not have such titles, since there is something called propriety, atleast some cultural context (of course now the babalogs got a clue on how to be more controversial and be more provocative in public. I strongly believe true artists are rarely crude and are mostly compassionate). The Hindi title of the movie was “Slumdog crorepati”. What kind of title is that?!!. It should be “Jopad patti ka kutha crorepati”. It also caricatured the popular Indian movie for western audience adding some song sequence that looked more for effect, the way western movies does it. Understandably the movie didn’t do well in Hindi, it cannot. It is not about Indians, it is about Indians for West. So it might even win Oscars!!. O yah am I spoiling the party (I don’t expect anyone to read these not that I care much), not at all. I liked the movie.

Overall the movie left quite positive impact and I liked the story, it is triumph of goodness that has universality. Danny Boyle has done a good job. I loved the quiz master (Anil Kapoor, I recall seeing Tezab). Now here is a character who is devious and doesn’t want the boy to win (even fed him wrong answer, and goes to extend of getting him arrested) and when he wins he starts to dance with all enthusiasm. That was brilliant characterization, it amazingly fits into Indian context. The Indian elite have that amazing quality. Push them down as much as you can if you can’t then try to gain from their gain is the mantra that rules. Being shamelessly selfish as also stamping on others for personal gain is now giving new meaning for being professional. East has finally met West. This typically Indian story has found resonance around the world is rather amazing.

Frankly I came to know about Oscars when I was studying in college. Never knew it was such a big deal (some in Indian media are quite horny about it. Some even getting fits of orgasms as they talk about Oscars!!). But the idea that West is discovering India is rather appalling (I guess it is more about Indian elite desperately wanting to be discovered. There is a stampede going on). I have nothing against Oscars. Oscar winning movies do maintain high standards. Last year I watched two movies Crash and Mystic River, both were brilliant. Clint Eastwood, after watching his cowboy movies I never thought would come out with Mystic River…that movie affected me a lot, such subtleties. It was amazing.

Rahman phenomenon: A.R.Rahman is such a brilliant guy that he is unbelievable. I absolutely loved the songs in Roja (when I heard decades back, I was amazed). He produced some amazing stuff over the years. If the West has “discovered” him recently that is their fault (shall we say incompetence), frankly I (as audience) am not bothered about this discovery. The song that I heard recently that was remarkable (I would say divine) was from Jodha-Akbar “kwaja mere kwaja…”. Not only that it was also picturised so well (Ashutosh Gawlaikar…I hope I got that one right. As an audience I feel that was the best song sequence I have seen for a very long time. There was something timeless, ethereal about it. Hope to see more from him. He is brilliant). AR Rahman also has impeccable behaviour.

As I am posting this blog I gather Rahman has won Oscars. Hey that’s great.