It was exciting to watch Slumdog Millionaire take home the Golden Globes. It was even more fun to see Shahrukh Khan, India's "king of Bollywood" introduce the film in Hollywood's Shangri La – the Beverly Hilton.
Funny, because director Danny Boyle said<http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=7670a6308717fe9f067408b5711a034b>he had spent weeks trying to coax Khan into playing the role of the smarmy show host. Khan, after all was the host of the real Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. But Khan, like all high-priced Bollywood stars juggling too many films, ad shoots and dance shows in Dubai, wouldn't give dates. So Boyle went to Anil Kapoor. Kapoor was there whooping it up at the Beverly Hilton. Though I wonder if he was a little pissed that Shah Rukh came by at the last minute to hog the limelight. But there was lots of love to go around for Slumdog. Best of all though he doesn't need the fame, it's introduced a whole new world of fans to A. R. Rehman whose music is as much anticipated in India as any director's film. Rehman's music sells movies, even bad ones. We can't say the same of John Barry or anyone else here. What's been most amazing about watching Slumdog's underdog rise to the top is that a film made in a mish-mash of Hindi and English might once have disappeared into the Foreign Language category. It's grimmer predecessor Mira Nair's Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay did just that. But in the bleak days of a recession, this Dickensian potboiler of a shit-to-riches fairy tale has been taking the world by storm. It's the feel-good movie of the depression. But most amazing to me is that after numerous attempts by so many directors (Baz Luhrmann, Deepa Mehta, Gurinder Chadha) to find that elusive Bollywood to Hollywood crossover film, Slumdog, made by a Brit manages to do that. It goes for the booming over-the-top emotions of Bollywood but cuts out six of the songs, the subplots keeping the focus tightly on the story. Sure, it has the song and dance at Victoria Terminus but it manages to do what the others couldn't – go for the heart of Bollywood, not the camp. It has all the tropes of Bollywood – two brothers, separated at childhood, on different sides of the law, the love that knows no end, even a little bit of the betrothed as children plotline all juxtaposed against India's own rags to riches story. It doesn't do the "poverty porn pity-me" story. It just tells a damn good, completely unbelievable, but damn good story. Finally Bollywood crosses over. And it does so without calling itself a crossover. Danny Boyle said<http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081130/jsp/7days/story_10185724.jsp>he's never been to India though his dad was stationed there during World War II waiting to invade Japan. But something of that old empire must be in his blood. He's made the crossover film that everyone has been trying in vain to make. And he did without having to cast Brad Pitt going to Mumbai to save Dev Patel from the slumlords. He let it be India's story. Of course he was helped by Loveleen Tandan in Mumbai who he gives co-director credit. (I haven't been seeing her on the Beverly Hilton stage – hope she'll get a bit more of the spotlight as well). The only downside – this might propel the novelist Vikas Swarup whose book Q&A it's based on to inflated heights. The book, alas is quite pedestrian. Simon Beaufoy really turned a sow's ear into a silk purse here. It's quite a miracle. But it's Bollywood. Miracles happen there all the time. And that's the final answer. http://blogs.newamericamedia.org/sandip-roy/1544/the-slumdog-barks -- regards, Vithur
