India’s golden moment
window.google_render_ad(); The New Indian Express First Published : 14 Jan 2009 12:57:00 AM IST Last Updated : 14 Jan 2009 07:37:51 AM IST A R Rahman winning the Golden Globe for his musical score was India’s moment under the sun. Despite the film, Slumdog Millionaire, having a British tag, the honours brought glory to Indian cinema, music and literature in one stroke. For one, Rahman is basically a Kollywood product, though he has already touched the zenith of his musical career. Besides that, Rahman’s soundtrack has a typical desi flavour and the film’s story was inspired by Indian life in the slums and originally told by Vikas Swarup through his thoroughly entertaining book Q&A. But, even if the Golden Globe has put Rahman in touching distance with the Oscars, the hard fact remains that there are not many Indians who have really made it, Oscarwise, in the global arena — other than Bhanu Athiya, who designed the costumes for Richard Attenborough’s magnum opus Gandhi and an honorary one for Satyajit Ray . That, while raising the doubt if Indian talent can get due recognition only through foreign projects, also calls for some introspection by the Indian film industry. While there can be no doubt that those in the booming film industry here do not lack in talent — be it acting or script writing or directing or scoring music — there is something that holds them back from touching the pinnacle of cinematic excellence. One reason could be the demand to meet crass commercial interests and another being the defining themes of films being Indian life. But now Danny Boyle, who has won the Golden Globe by directing an essentially Indian project, has shown the world how effectively an Indian theme can be turned into a world-class film. Similarly it should be acknowledged that Slumdog Millionaire gained a proper cinematic contour in the hands of Simon Beaufoy, who wrote the screenplay for the film. It’s a pity that Q&A finds greater reflected glory only after the film has hit the scene. Rahman has definitely made the country and the place where he honed his music skills, Chennai, proud through his soundtrack. If at all there were some who helped him come up with music that struck a chord with Hollywood’s — those who give out the Golden Globes — they are the other musicians in Chennai. Indeed, India has a large talent pool that waits to the tapped. Not just musicians but in other fields, too, with the potential to make movies that can make the world sit up and watch. We congratulate Rahman. He is going to win himself and us even more plaudits. http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=India%E2%80%99s+golden+moment&artid=jQmto7dSEiw=&SectionID=RRQemgLywPI=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=XQcp6iFoWTvPHj2dDBzTNA==&SEO=A%20R%20Rahman,%20golden%20globe,%20slumdog%20millionaire
