ya.. according to me, any Indian critic and Indian media should appreciate the fact that Danny and his team have boldly attempted to do something that any Indian director have dared to even think about and made it a huge huge success. infact, slumdog protrays India in a way which no other film has portrayed. hats off to Danny for his courage to film the reality and weave it beautifully into a well written story. music of course is extraordinary.. SDM creates moments for a rahmaniac to cherish...
On Sat, Jan 10, 2009 at 12:35 PM, ramakrisha laxmana subramanian siva gopala acharya iyer .aiyooo amma idli wada dosa sambar chatni . < [email protected]> wrote: > Masala Film?! The reviewer has been Chopradized/Joharized way beyond > limit. > > > --- In [email protected] <arrahmanfans%40yahoogroups.com>, > Vithur <vith...@...> wrote: > > > > Blame it on the hype. > > > > The reviews -- mainly from the United Kingdom and the United > States, where > > the film was released first -- for *Slumdog Millionaire > > [Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=slumdog > > millionaire> > > ]* compete with each other in discovering superlatives. It is being > billed > > as *the movie* of the year gone by, and has catapulted its > protagonists Dev > > Patel and Freida Pinto into competing with Oscar heavyweights in > major award > > nominations. > > > > So expectation is par for the course, I hope you will agree. > > > > But after watching director Danny Boyle's attempt at encapsulating > the India > > story with a miraculous tale, I for one was majorly under-whelmed. > > > > Let me try to explain why. > > > > - *Also Read: Showcasing Slumdog > > Millionaire<http://www.rediff.com/movies/slumdog09.html> > > * > > > > And for those of you who want to watch the movie first unencumbered > by > > premature knowledge of plot turning points, please click away to > another > > page, because it is impossible to critique this particular film > without > > giving away what classify as 'spoilers'. > > > > So where was I? The film. Do you remember a recent movie that had > the > > tagline -- 'he was arrested for raping his daughter'? Well, > > *Under-trial<http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/feb/09ut.htm> > > > * too was based on 'real events'. > > > > The point I am trying to make is that a film about real events need > not end > > up real enough, or engaging enough. That is precisely what *Slumdog > > Millionaire* suffers from, IMHO. > > > > The premise is brimming with potential. A slum kid rises above fate > to > > win *Kaun > > Banega Crorepati *-- the sets are ditto, as is the background music > for the > > show -- and the love of his life. He is helped by destiny, as each > of the > > questions on the quiz show is linked to an event in his life. Wow. > > > > But the execution falls very flat because of two basic flaws: The > language > > barrier, and a wishy washy story line. > > > > It starts off with Jamal Malik being given the 'third degree' in a > police > > station because the cops are sure the slum kid has cheated on the > game show. > > > > > > I agree custodial torture is not limited to Abu Ghraib. But what is > not > > taken into account is the usual fall guy in 21st century India -- > the media. > > If a 'slumdog' -- as the police inspector (Irrfan Khan > > [Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=irrfan khan> > > ]) calls Jamal -- were to be poised to win Rs 20 million on *KBC* > and if the > > country knew it (as it does in *Slumdog*), I doubt he would be > subjected to > > any other grilling apart from that most profound of television > journalism > > questions: "*Aapko kaisa lag raha hai?*" (How are you feeling?). > > > > And if he was arrested for cheating, it would be an even bigger > story, with > > reporters grilling the police and PYTs (pretty young things) doing > PTCs > > (piece to cameras, the bit where the reporter faces the camera and > signs off > > with usually insights like: 'What will happen next remains to be > seen. With > > cameraperson in Mumbai > > [Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=mumbai> > > ], , ') in front of Jamal's slum. > > > > Instead, Jamal narrates to the police inspector just how he knows > the answer > > to each question. > > > > So we flashback to him as child diving into potty -- isn't once > enough, > > given that Boyle's gritty and edgy *Trainspotting *featured such a > > nauseating scene too? -- to get Amitabh Bachchan's > > [Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=amitabh > > bachchan> > > ] autograph. > > > > For all the Amitabh-crazed fans, maybe the megastar does oblige > children > > caked in faeces; be sure to try it the next time. > > > > More such flashbacks reveal the scars life has inflicted on Jamal > and his > > brother Salim. The Bombay riots that orphaned Jamal; how he and his > brother > > Salim met Latika, the love of Jamal's life, as children; the > underworld don > > who has children's eyes gouged out so that they can earn more as > beggars; > > how Jamal and Salim escape him and land up in Agra > > [Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=agra> > > ]; how they come back; how Jamal and Salim and Latika are thrown > apart; and > > how, eventually, love conquers all. > > > > Again, fantastic -- and seemingly real -- premise; but shoddy > experience. > > > > For starters, the kids (who deliver heart-warming performances, > faring way > > better than those who play their adult avatars) and his brother > speak in > > Hindi, and suddenly when they turn adolescent they start talking in > > *pucca*English. Huh? > > > > *Arre,* that's because the film is meant for a world audience, and > you can't > > have an entire film in subtitles, you might say. Fine, but then why > do the > > police officers have to speak 'Indian' English and why does > the 'slumdog' > > have an accent? > > > > And no, a semi-literate office help in a call centre does not > develop an > > accent. > > > > In fact, a lot of the 'how he knows the answers' flashbacks are too > > contrived. Sample this, Jamal knows Samuel Colt invented the > revolver > > because Salim got a gun -- it is never explained how -- and shot > dead the > > vile man who heads the beggars' racket. In my hometown, the pistol > goes by > > monikers like 'machine' in the netherworld; I doubt the average > underaged > > Mumbai underworld operative knows a Colt 45, or Samuel Colt. The > first gun > > is usually what is called a 'country' revolver. > > > > And then there is the stereotyped, half-baked, black and white > > characterisation, almost bar none. For example, Prem Kumar (Anil > Kapoor [ > > Images <http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=anil > kapoor>]), the > > > *KBC *host, is the typical villain who taunts the *chaiwallah* on > his show; > > and the audience joins in with jeering laughter. Agreed, slum > children get > > life's rawest deal, but not on live television. More likely, sugary > > treatment on the show, and bitter backstage. > > > > It is also not explained just why Prem goes after Jamal with such > malice, > > beyond a muttered 'It's *my *show'. > > > > I can go on and on -- like point out that call centres serving > customers in > > Scotland don't keep telephone directories of Indian cities > accessible at the > > click of a button, and that mobile phones are not listed in > telephone > > directories yet (that's how Jamal finds his brother again) -- but > the point > > is that *Slumdog Millionaire* is miles short of what I had expected > it to > > be. > > > > The really key events, the struggles of survival, are glossed over, > and > > instead we get montage (albeit beautiful) shots hurrying towards a > climax > > that leaves you untouched. A R Rahman's music is good, but not the > master's > > best. But then, maybe on second hearing it will grow on you. > > > > But -- maybe it's just me -- you never really feel for the adult > Jamal. > > Maybe it has something to do with the acting. > > > > I have no problems with the 'West' taking up themes of poverty and > > highlighting the real India. I can completely understand a > foreigner being > > obsessed with the filth and the poverty -- I too was stunned by the > plight > > of the homeless in New York -- of India. I thought *Slumdog *is > brilliantly > > shot, and I am willing to forgive Ram dressed as a mix between > Shiva and > > Krishna in a foreign film. > > > > But I do have a problem with a story that pretends to be real when > in > > reality it is just a *masala *film -- the kind we churn out by the > dozens in > > Bollywood. > > > > Yes, *Slumdog Millionaire *is just superficial fluff, mainly > because of its > > gaping plot holes. It should have been much better researched, and > they > > really should have stuck to one language. > > > > Maybe the makers -- and half the world, apparently -- believe they > have > > married Bollywood escapism with Western sensibilities, but it is > not a match > > made in cinema heaven. It is more along the lines of 1970s Bollywood > > tear-jerkers, the kind where the hero transforms from street urchin > to gang > > lord in one running shot and where long-lost brothers are reunited > by > > tattoos. > > > > Blame it on the hype. > > http://www.rediff.com/movies/2009/jan/09review-slumdog-millionaire- > sumit.htm > > > > -- > > regards, > > Vithur > > > > >
