The recent debate over SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE has once again brought to the surface the question we indians love to hate...WHY SO POOR??? ( excerpts inspired by a hollywood movie.. ahem ahem..)
Ever since its release , the movie seems to have divided the country over the question of "potrayal of reality".. Surely the movie doesnt have the honesty of SALAM BOMBAY or sincerity of "CITY OF JOY"... The movie is a bald , angry , dark & unfortunately true depiction of thousands of "SLUMDOGS" of mumbai...Unlike any stereotypical bollywood masala dish, this movie never targets to touch the raw nerve of its viewers. Through the protagonist Jamal Malik, the storyteller embarks on a tumultuous journey and continues to view Jamal confronting with all the possilble horrors of life..So much so , that at one stage a common viewer asks " HOW MUCH MORE?"..
And this poignant story sparks off an unending debate over the question of celebration of a movie that leaves the indian audience in two minds.
Surely, there is some space for celebration..
A.R Rehman has got his due finally.. he is a legend and his rising popularity in the western world through "slumdog...." is welcomed..Also the fact that Slumdog..has put indian movies on international map is indeed heartening, although many wud not have preferred the unexpected leapfrog jump in this manner..
But coming out of the debate, there is another very intersting issue which hasnt got enough attention. The issue of "slumdog.... " all set to steal the show at OSCARS!!!!
Well the movie may have won hearts , but an honest confession suggests that it has done so only in parts. The type of praise , acknowledgement , and acceptance showered on the movie, is , to put it politely, thoroughly undeserved. Such hype generated around the movie in US , UK and elsewhere only smacks of western cynicism where people continue to view india through a clouded lens. India is still in the process of transformation. Much has changed and continues to change since independence. Not to say that characters like jamal are not to be found in indian streets, but an impartial view wud suggest that human trafficking is more or less rampant in almost all the countries today..
Moreover , the direction , story, screenplay doesnt seem to be strong enough to blow someone's socks off...Oscar has had a prestigious history of being awarded to the best in business that year...In such a scenario , flooding "Slumdog...." with awards can prove to be damaging to the reputation Oscar has established over the years..
Having said that , i cant resist the temptation of catching Rehman perform before the Los Angeles crowd. Surely , its a gr8 moment for him as it is for countless indians back home, who havent stopped praying for him ever since his name figured in the nominations list..
As i retire to bed a day befor the oscar night , i dont know what tomorrow has for "slumdog..."
All i know is that life will continue its same old course for all the "dogs" in the "slums" of mumbai and elsewhere , quite aware of the fact that the hard lives that they live is not going to fetch any Oscars , untill another Danny Boyle arrives.....
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