>From slum to Hollywood, film offers message of hope By Taani Pande • February 28, 2009
- <javascript:gsl.redirectToCommentPage();> - - Print this page<javascript:NewWindow(600,800,'http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090228/COLUMNISTS06/902280306&template=printart');> - E-mail this article<javascript:NewWindow(300,400,'/apps/pbcs.dll/section?template=Xsendmailpopup&GPUBDATE=200902280300&GCATID=COLUMNISTS06&GARTNO=902280306>ITLE=From slum to Hollywood, film offers message of hope');> - Share <javascript:void(0);> - Del.icio.us <http://del.icio.us/post?v=2> - Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/share.php> - Digg <http://digg.com/submit?phase=2> - Reddit <http://reddit.com/submit> - Newsvine <http://www.newsvine.com/_tools/seed> - Buzz up!<http://buzz.yahoo.com/article/pub/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.poughkeepsiejournal.com%252Fapps%252Fpbcs.dll%252Farticle%253FAID%253D%252F20090228%252FCOLUMNISTS06%252F902280306> - [image: What’s this?]<javascript:NewWindow(200,200,'/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=socialbookmarkshelp');> "D. It was written." [image: Advertisement] <http://gannett.gcion.com/?adlink/5111/202096/0/154/AdId=181512;BnId=1;itime=900838045;> That was the correct answer that made a "slumdog" a millionaire. Perhaps, it was also written that a modern-day fairy tale with a largely unknown star cast would sweep the Oscars, past such big-name films as "Milk" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." "Slumdog Millionaire's" eight Oscars was the largest total won by a single film since "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" won 11 in 2004. The film, directed by Danny Boyle, was nominated for 10 awards. I saw it only a few days before the Oscars - mostly because friends had nagged me to do so. And then I was rooting for the film with all my heart. Sure, it's a well-made film, but it was more special for me because it is about India. Not the India that is a jobs outsourcing destination where everyone is upwardly mobile and the growing middle class is a lucrative consumer group for the multinationals. Nor is it about the yuppie India that dresses in designer outfits, lives in air-conditioned McMansions and zips around in high-end luxury cars. Instead, the film highlights the other India, where millions live in poverty and squalor in shantytowns, where sanitation is dismal, where exploitation is rampant and violence is a way of life. "Slumdog" is a pejorative term for a person who hails from the slums. Too often the India that is a stark reality for hundreds of millions of people gets lost amid reports about the country's booming economy. Then, along comes a film that's a breath of fresh air. A film that, as a colleague put it, is so grim and yet so uplifting. (2 of 2) It reminds us of the harsh realities of life, it brings tears to our eyes with its narrative of exploitation, it angers us that in this day and age such desperation, poverty and squalor still exist and the most innocent and vulnerable are always the first victims. [image: Advertisement] Yet, it offers us hope that even the deepest anguish can be overcome. Hope is a potent word; it can inspire an electorate, sustain a nation and guide a leader's course toward rebuilding and recovery. In my everyday reality, hope is what drives me. As friends lose jobs and struggle to make ends meet, as credit card bills pile up and 401(k)s deplete, as budget deficits mount and wages are squeezed, as college education becomes expensive and health care exorbitant, as retirement seems a distant dream and guaranteed employment a mirage, hope is what offers some solace. There's a song in "Slumdog Millionaire" called "Jai ho." Music director A.R. Rahman won an Oscar for it. The song's title can be translated loosely as "victory" or "triumph" and it is, quite aptly, the grand finale of the film. Rahman's music breathes life into the film. The music director comes from a family of modest means and has risen from being a relative unknown to a leading name in the Indian film industry. His story is one of personal triumph, too. I guess the final message of "Slumdog Millionaire" is something we heard echo across the nation last year: "Yes, we can." And it's no wonder the film took the top honors at the Oscars. I say "jai ho" to that. Enjoy your time at the movies. http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20090228/COLUMNISTS06/902280306/1005/LIFE -- regards, Vithur
