Last week a delighted AR Rahman walked up to sign his name as the first Indian to win the Golden Globe. He won it for the song Jai Ho written by Gulzar. When Rahman dedicated the award to the country, he just floored the nation of a billion who were waiting with vicarious pride in having someone carve out a place for them in a club where membership is by invitation only. So what is the first reaction of Rahman when he became the first Indian to win the GG? “Unbelievable”. He starts off by thanking God and ends with thanking the “billion people of India”.Rahman incidentally has sold as many albums as Madonna. Called the Mozart of Madras (shouldn’t that be Tchaikovsky of Chennai, since we all call Madras by the new name?), Rahman composes rap as easily as jingles and classical music based tunes. Slumdog M also bagged three more Golden Globe honours for best drama, best director and best screenwriter. Rahman was nominated along with Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Clint Eastwood (Changeling), James Newton Howard (Defiance), Hans Zimmer (Frost/Nixon).
I have been eagerly waiting to watch Slumdog Millionaire. Is the movie really good or is India just the flavor of the moment and the film is lucky to hit good timing? Is this the film version of slum tourism? The short answer is no.
Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India¹s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” Anil Kapoor plays the sleazy but host of the talk show to perfection. But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slums where he and his brother grew up, and of Latika (Freida Pinto), the girl he loved and his obsessive quest to find her.
There is always the angry reaction to depiction of the slums and poverty in India especially when it is by someone not Indian. This film has been lambasted by Amitabh Bachchan in his blog.
“If ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ projects India as Third World dirty underbelly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky underbelly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations,” Amitabh said in his blogpost.
Hey, but the story of the film has been adapted from the novel Q&A by Vikas Swaroop – an Indian. So why should Danny make our blood Boyle? When someone bases a story set in the backdrop of India’s largest slum, Dharavi, it shows a part of India that even Indians pretend does not exist. This is the bottom of the pyramid. The underbelly that shows warts and all. It does not show the satellite launching, IT savvy India, but one where squalor, sexual exploitation and death co-exist with the great Indian Middle Class and of course the filthy rich. Mercedes-Benz asked that its logos be removed in scenes taking place in the slums. The company, allegedly did not want to be associated with the poverty-stricken area, fearing that that might taint its image.
The story balances contradictions. The realistic and the unblievable. The slick and the crass. Love and hatred. And does it well. It has all the usual elements of a Bollywood masala movie – lovers getting separated, violence, a Bollywood dance on a railway platform and everything else. Yet, in the hands of Danny Boyle, it is neither glamorized nor condemned. Fantasy and reality exist cheek by jowl just the way the slums exist alongside the most expensive real estate on the planet. The movie opens with the cops torturing Jamal to get to the truth. How could a slumdog know the answers to the questions? The opening scene is brutally realistic. As is the black humor. Samir Shukla and Irrfan Khan (the cops who try to eke a confession out of the protagonist) worry about getting questioned by Amnesty International, should Jamal get “hurt” during their questioning. This film celebrates hope and love. That is what tugs at the heart strings. The slum kids put in a brilliant performance in the film. Will someone please nominate them for an award? Please!! They have my nomination. The dialog is almost entirely in Hindi with English subtitles. I thought that was a bold experiment and adds to the authentic tone of the film. The director has placed the money to be paid to the three lead child actors in a trust that is to be released to them upon their completion of grade school at 16 years of age. The production company has set up for an auto-rikshaw driver to take the kids to school everyday until they are 16 years old. Hats off Danny Boy(le).
What did I not like about the film? Ironically enough, for me, it was the songs. It was not vintage Rahman quality. Don’t get me wrong. I love Rahman’s talent as a composer – remember the music of Roja and Bombay?. I shared the pride of a billion Indians when Rahman got the Globe, but I don’t think this is the best work that Rahman has. It was foot tapping and hip, but it was like a spicy curry that had been toned down to be served to a global audience. If that is all that it takes to get the GG, I am disappointed. But if this get more global listeners for Rahman’s fan club, I will shut up. If this is the first time you have heard Rahman, I suggest you sample some more. Chris Dicken’s editing never lets the pace drop.
The verdict: Go see it.
16 Comments
Waiting for its release. So many people raving about it. I felt however that recently Rahman isn’t really doing the sort of music that he used to. Some how I feel he’s slipping, though the award is deserved.
I saw Slumdog Millionaire today. Boyle has really done a good job with this movie. While the movie deals with the gory details of the underbelly of Mumbai, it doesnt really leave you with a sick feeling. The story feels like a commentary and at the end you just feel good about the whole movie. Very well done I must say.The music score by Rehman is amazing, the actors who played junior Jamal and Salim were the real stars. They were simply too good.
very well said Abhi.. great movie, has everything that keeps you on edge all the time.. my concern is why are the two juniors not praised as much as Dev Patel.. they were the real Jamal’s.. through there eyes is you actually see the real movie..
Hey Abhi,Thanks for nice and elaborate review of this movie. I am in China on a business trip and my chinese colleauge requested for a bollywood nite today evening. I got hold of this CD yesterday and will now be showcasing them this movie and add more spice with assistance of your wonderful reviews. Thanks a lot Abhi for sharing.Today, I am sure we will have a blast during Bollywood nite in Wuhan, China!YoursAmit
Thanks Abhijit, was factually planning to give this movie a miss – that is till I read your review! Somehow thought it was a “me too” slum tourism genre before this review, will give it a shot soon.Cheers,Nayana
Hi AbhijitWe ( my husband, teenage daughter and myself) saw Slumdog last week ( the day of release in the UK).Quite different reactions from the three of us. Normally, I am the one more enthusiastic about Hindi ( not tradional Bollywood !) movies while Himanshu and Ashlesha are not into it at all. Surprisingly, they loved Slumdog whereas I thought it was average !One area of disappointment was that the film varies quite a bit from the book. Having read the book twice I was looking for things which did not exist . My daughter’s verdict was that the film would do well with a younger audience ( which probably explains my reaction !!!). So will probably do well with the Western audience.Interestingly had a chat with a friend of mine who used to be Danny Boyle’s neighbour ( they used to share the school run) and she ( English) thought it was very unlike him…Devyani
Yeah Abhijit,completely agree with you about the film.Quite enjoyed it esp the way the story unfolds.What actually elevates the film is at the end of all the poverty,exploitation,pathos and not to forget the filth and squalor what you are left with is a feeling of joy and hope.What else can one ask for!
Hello AbhijitI am a fan of your writing and have been following your blog for quite some time.I am a big big fan of Rahman. A small correction – ARR won the Golden Globe for the entire Original Score, not just “Jai Ho” . Infact the other songs in the album are much better, like “O Saya”, “Latika’s Theme”, “Gangsta blues”
Great piece, Abhijit!Slumdog is getting to become the new age “Sound of Music”. Back in my early school days if you hadn’t see SoM at least three times and sung Do re mi to perfection you would be labeled as a “vernac” – a lot worse an abuse than SCST!All this is great publicity for Slum. But the sad truth is when Robin Dharmaraj (hope I’ve got the surname right) did “Chakra”, a story based on the life of slum dwellers in Mumbai, with Naseer and Smita Patil, he got the President’s Gold Medal but very few to see the film in theaters. A heart broken Robin, it seems, committed suicide.Underbelly or potbelly, we still need a Firangi to tell us our own stories. Gandhi had to be made by a Britisher to get the Oscars. A brilliant Shyambabu couldn’t get Bose to cross the Arabian Sea!Kaushik
The movie may be termed as breathless, exciting story, heartbreaking and exhilarating. Although, I have a negative thought about this movie, as the world will watch the poverty of India, in spite of the strong economy (look, Rs. 7000 crores Satyam scam that did not impact much on economy) and so on. But, it speaks a universal form of optimism which is quite motivational, no matter what is the origin of the movie, where it screens, or who is watching.Lets hope for the best . The Oscar is going to… ..
Abhijit…kinda disgree with u on SM! It was nuthn but a well baked spice up Bollywood movie served for a Western palate…worth a watch, thtz it….To place it in the same pedestal as a ‘Citizen Kane’ or ‘Ben Hur’ is sacrilege.I’ve penned down my thoughts in http://www.individuallyhazaaar.blogspot.comSabari
Thanks for all the responses Kaber, Mumbai, Pooja, Amit, Nayana, Devyani, Raka, Vinayak, Kaushik, Subhendu and Sabari.@Sabari/ Kaushik – A classic and a bestseller are different. Something that is spoken in a language that is understood by a wider audience is better than a grammatically correct piece that is seen or read by a few.@Subhendu –> The Oscar (maybe 2 of ’em) will go to AR Rahman. For sure. The bets are on. Remember this is my stance.@Vinayak – Thanks for the correction pal.
Like the article.Why the hoopla all over this movie.It’s a great pice of film-making.It shows India what it is and more importantly it shows the comtemp the Indians themsleves have for their own poor.And the reaction of Bollywood,oh well – how likely,folks!How bloody ignorant can they be?Mumbai,the glamorous metropolis of India trundles along on multimillions dollar budgets(all so much the better if it helps them make better movies),aggrandizes elegant houses and elaborate lifestyles that rivals Hollywood. Amitabh Bachan at the very apogee of Bollywood iconography is the very epitome of thatignorance.How often have we heard of him or for that matter anyone from Bollywood actually do something substantial for the povety-stricken?Look at the the shappy way they treat the unitwallas and sadly this malaise stretches all the way from Indian filmakers in North America to India and I speak as someone with experience with movie-makers when they come to shoot here in North America.We are still looking for Susan Sarandon,Sean Penn,George Clooney,Brad Pitt ,Angelina Jolie and the like.Indian can treat their poor like the plague but God forbid if a Brit make a film that shows the way Indians threat their poor.I guess we anathemize the ignorance of others,yet blissfully live with our own.Danny Boyle set up a big trust account for the young actors and has a rickshaw taking them to school everyday.How very likely to see Anil Kapoor prancing around on the TV circuit now that he is courting Hollywood..I wonder if he ever did as much for the poor as much as Danny Boyle did for the duration of this one film.Folks reality does bite.Sadly.Sashi.
Sorry,I had just woken up.I realize now that there are quite a few spelling and grammatical errors.Abhi,like your website.We have chatted before.How about a review of THE STORY OF MY ASSASINS?WE here in Canda can’t get it.Looks like I have to make trip to Delhi to ge it!Sashi.Vancouver.
So, the Oscar has gone to…. :-)The 81st Academy Awards will be remembered for an Indian connection. Till now, we had only one – through Satyajit Ray. Interestingly, Rahman is the only person to win two Academy Awards this year (yes, Abhijit was right…).Let us hope that the year 2009 will be a great one for all of us – Cheers.
Hi abhijit. I am a student of NUJS, Kolkatta currently working at Breakthrough, Delhi. This post is most interestingly written and very sensitively deals with the current social issues using media. You have managed to put the issue in focus quite well.Well, I work on a youth oriented site called http://www.bellbajao.org and would love for you to blog on it. Posts like this one, which bring to the fore discussions and debates carrying on in the social media world around sensitive topics like Domestic Violence. This we do, on the Bell Bajao site as well, where we have a category called “Social Media Buzz” which houses blogs highlighting conversations from social networking sites, blogs and other websites.Please visit the site and do write back to me at namratad2224@gmail.com about your thoughts on the campaign.And if you’re interested, do blog on the site as well. And if you’re a regular blogger, we’d be happy to put you on our blogroll and crosslink your blog page on our site.Thanks and hoping to hear from you,Namrata.