(Image courtesy: wikipedia)
If you see the films it had competed with
Milk – which sends out a strong message from the gay community,
The curious case of Benjamin Button – a story of an old man growing younger physically but wiser with age
Frost/Nixon – a window to American politics and the Nixon era and
Reader – a movie which won the Best Actress award for Kate Winslet
every one of them has a powerful taut story. What does Slumdog have? The same ‘rags to riches’ story where the hero walks away with the heroine into the sunset. The actors have done a great job, but is the movie as powerful as its competition? While some say its good timing, to portray a movie that shows optimism and hope in times of recession, there are others who say its mediocre.
Whatever is the opinion, one thing is true. The movie, a simple love story, in an Indian setting, made by an Englishman, nominated for the Best Movie in an American film chamber, has won the award. Truly, cinema can’t get more global than this.
p.s – While everyone’s besotted with Slumdog, my heart cringed at the story of Pinki, which incidentally won the oscar for the documentary feature. Reminds me of another bizarre physical deformity story which got corrected through surgery.
SloganMurugan
February 25, 2009 at 12:13 pm
i want to see that one. Smile pinki
citygurl
February 25, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Same here. But are docu films screened in theatres. Maybe this one will be now that it has won an oscar:)
Ob-Guy'n
February 27, 2009 at 1:41 am
dev patel in slumdog, propah accent et al, is just about as convincing a mumbai slum boy as is tom cruise in valkyrie where he plays this nazi general with a thick north american accent.
poverty porn sells in the west. period.
citygurl
February 27, 2009 at 2:54 pm
And haven’t we seen that before? Right from Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali. Only diff here is its an Englishman who made it;this atleast shows optimism inspite of the ‘dirty underbelly’ as Big B says.
My take – a nice movie for which I wouldn’t have given a best film award – but hey maybe the jury was tired of serious cinema.
Shankar
March 6, 2009 at 1:07 am
http://www.sandeepweb.com/2009/02/19/my-op-ed-in-pioneer-talibanisation-in-practice/
The average urban youngster’s profile forbids us to expect that he/she knows Renuka Choudhury’s antecedents as a staunch crusader against liquor during her TDP days.
citygurl
March 6, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Shankar, I dont know how relevant your comment is on this post. I have accepted it on the assumption that this was actually for some of my previous posts. Waiting for an explanation.
Sreekiran
March 30, 2009 at 1:42 pm
You should all read about the boy who has been dubbed as “The real Slumdog (millionnaire)”:
http://www.currybear.com/wordpress/?p=2316
citygurl
March 30, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Excellent link, Kiran. Thanks. I loved the way he explained the history of hanging garden.
Others do have a look at this you tube videos of the talented Ravi.