I know while everyone is hyping up Slumdog Millionaire (SM) due to 8 Oscars bagged by the film, I'm suggesting a better suited name for the film! The only reason that it won the Best Film Oscar seems to be because somebody has become a millionaire in this time of recession, more so a slum kid! :)
I think that the film wasn't worth the best film Oscar and if it was, then I pity the state of Hollywood considering how bad the movies had to be that competed with SM. The story was more of a mix from age old Salaam Bombay and a couple of other movies put together around a KBC show. I think it would have been much better if so many things had not been mixed up, especially a love story where it didn't belong. Also the lead's elder brother portrays an inconsistent character. Moreover, with a comment from the show's host that there's only one person that came this far called for some flashback about that person.
I haven't much to say about the background score and direction and sound engineering categories, but the song Jai Ho!, of all things winning an Oscar is really pathetic. Gulzar himself was shocked surely that his words for the song won an Oscar and went on to say that it is only because of AR Rahman's music score that Jai Ho! even got noticed. There have been tons of better songs that go unnoticed in the Oscar hype created around a movie.
On a related note, I think Lagaan and Taare Zameen Par were better movies compared to SM in the category of best film, but sadly they were not competing against each other and now I wonder who competed with SM... I got to see those movies.
13 comments:
The comparison with lagaan and tare zameen par is incorrect, since the categories were different. Those movies were competing for foreign language films, slumdog, with it's semi-english dialogs and british connections was a mainstream movie.
As you can see from "but sadly they were not competing against each other", Ameya, its not a comparison, its a generic statement that they were better movies.
Agreed, it was a mainstream movie, with mainstream masala. What I liked in today's newspapers is Danny Boyle saying "In reality, it was a British movie" and then he went on to say that British movies are more realistic unlike Hollywood and Bollywood. :)
Your comments are what you feel. But unfortunately :o( for you and fortunately ;o) for me the people deciding Oscar for a specific category are specialist in their field.
I am happy to find Indians dominating the red carpet and world film industry applauding them. In past I have seen the movies that I didn’t feel worth for Oscar were the winners.
I am proud if any Indian does something proud for India. The poverty and all is real why we want to hide it? It is like an India masala film made by gori chambdi. But still Indians were part of it and got the deserved recognition. Many good Indians are not even considered for Oscars. So, be proud and happy when we get such opportunities.
If you argue it got Oscar for “somebody has become a millionaire in this time of recession”, maybe you are right. But that is just one aspect. I can throw all such wild guesses as “Obama asking India not to attack Pakistan in return Oscars for Indians in Slumdog millionaire” and “Hollywood want a pie of Bollywood and giving Oscars to Indians will help them milk money in India than recession driven US market”.
It is no hype either as lots of American movies were junk this year. Thank god the ‘Dark Knight’ just got one Oscar for Heath L (he deserved it). It was a true over hyped movie here.
Jai Hind. Unity in Diversity ;o)
Santosh, I can see where you're coming from, but I think you're missing the point I'm making. When you say "In past I have seen the movies that I didn’t feel worth for Oscar were the winners", you mean the same thing that I'm saying here in this blog, aren't you? Its a personal viewpoint. Weren't Oscars given out by specialists then? They were. But the point is whether we felt it deserving! Then again, I'm sure you've listened to more of A.R. Rahman and know Gulzar's other lyrics that were exceedingly better than Jai Ho! :)
Its not about hiding poverty, I didn't even mention it; isn't it possible that you may be mixing it up from others' opinions? This movie picks up a lots of stories from existing Indian movies (and yes, totally Indian at that: Salaam Bombay, Satya, etc). As I responded to Ameya, Danny Boyle said "In reality, its a British movie".
Moreover, when you say American movies were junk, in a passive voice, it means that SM competed with junk movies to win it out; precisely my point again!
Britishers made $163M out of SM made with $15M budget, out of which only peanuts were made in India. What does that tell us? It didn't run much in India. And from an Indian perspective, taking out the Oscars from SM, SM was a lousy movie. Mine was an Indian perspective.
And the recession comment was a joke. :)
All said and done, vasudhaiva kuTumbakam :D
I never said you are wrong and also gave examples how I felt in earlier instances. But, I preferred to learn from that differently.
I see similar criticism about SM at many places. If the British makes more money what is the problem. It is their brain child project and they know the right channels to know the doors of Oscars. But you don't see some Indians getting name out of this project. You don't see some poor kids getting a lifetime trip to far land. If the film was not made he would have not even dreamt of that. I feel, sometimes looking at positive helps.
Read this http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/At-the-Oscars-four-years-ago-now-a-sex-worker/articleshow/4186270.cms . Now the positive from this article looks like that many kids from the documentary got help from the producers to learn in US. Well the white made money but they too set some money for the children to find a new life.
If Ambani makes more money than a common man investing in his stock isn't the common man getting something or is crying foul that Ambani is making money on his investment. If the stock falls Ambani too bleeds more than the commons man. Now I do not want to divert about Ambanis business.
Yes, Rehman and Gulzar have better creations and they get the Indian awards for that.
Oscar is American perspective (we Indian think it is world perspective) and Filmfare is Indian. You can't compare apples with oranges.
I hope you got my point. Else can find some new things to win the argument ;o)
Lets start off by saying that you won the argument anyways ;)
But I'm not comparing apples and oranges, Santosh, you are! I didn't bring up Filmfare, my dear friend. All this while, I was on Oscars alone! I didn't bring up Britishers making money, I really don't mind, we Indians milk the world too, don't we? The money came into mention just to prove that Brits didn't make money from India on SM, they made it outside India, meaning SM was a flop show in India for an Oscar winner!!!
Now, you're mixing things up; that the SM kids got a better life in the form of houses and education is an after-effect of something. If we have to discuss that, why not discuss that those very slum kids got a mere Rs.50 per day prior to all the Oscar buzz??? What do you feel about that.
Forget Ambanis, you're reading way too much in my simple blog entry that just says:
--There are umpteen better Indian movies, some that made it to Oscars earlier and many that didn't, than SM.
--There are scores of other scores by AR Rahman or Gulzar than Jai Ho!
--An Indian movie doesn't have to win an Oscar to be good, just as winning Oscars doesn't make a lousy movie better.
I close my case... once again, lets just say you won the argument anyways. ;)
That's you greatness sir after reponding back with more clarifications you say 'I win' ;o).
Probably moving on different topic will save some energy.
Hi Praveen,
I completely agree with you on this, Neither SM nor the Jai Ho deserve the applaud they got. Yes, I am a true A R Rahman fanatic, adn that makes me little happy that he stood there at the Kodak theater giving a live performance, but no way for the compostions he made for SM. Listen to "Ringa Ringa" from that movie, and it closely resembles (sounds I mean) to Ku Ku....Choli Ke Piche Kya Hai from Sanjay-Madhuri's (and Ghai's) Khalnayak.
We, Indians, somehow are still used to getting blinded by the glaze and glamour of the west without reasoning out if we really deserve it or not.
In my opinion, SM shouldnt have even got nominated in the Oscar race. TZP (though of different category from India) was certainly a more deserving film than SM. In the current race, The Reader should have swept the red carpet with as many awards it could, from filming, story, direction, and even the music.
We (Bollywood or other Danny Boyles) are very very far from creating a masterpiece that truly deserves an Oscar.
Cheers,
Amol
Undoubtedly so, Amol. I haven't seen The Reader yet. I will, soon.
But I think we do have people that can create masterpieces deserving Oscars. Of course, they may not be... er, will definitely not be... our run-of-the-mill flicks. :)
WOW brothers ..everybody against Slumdog Millionare ..anyways hollywood has given oscars to worse movies than Slumdog ....but then the movie is not a total crap ..i thoght it deserved oscar for screenplay and the cinematography...but it is not the best movie of the year especially where there are good movies like Changeling...and moreover oscar is based on the relative excellence of the movie among the movies nominated in that category...i thought this movie was better than manynominated int he category it had all elements like pacy screenplay,all commercial elements.songs (unlike hollywood movies)...giving oscar to Slumdog is not the worst thing to happen ..come on ...............and why do they compare taare zameen par or lagaan with slumdog ..in that case there are many foreign movies which are very good and did not get oscars....
Exactly the point. As you can see, I was pointing out the Oscars for the best film category and Jai Ho song of all things.
Moreover, the mention of other movies came in not as a comparison but because they were Oscar worthy and actually *Indian* movies. Yes, there are tons of other foreign movies that deserved Oscars as you rightly said.
nice to read blog and comments!!
here [US] the case is bit different! some religious groups/societies here are portraying what they do for the uplift of the people in slums of India, instead of helping the homeless and bankrupts here who struggle to survive in harsh weather conditions!!
so who is milking money?
Yeah, circumstances have changed everywhere due to recession; so everyone needs help. But even before, no one knew where all the charity money went, and thats so all over the world!
Interestingly, I recall the adage: Charity begins at home! Some people may have misinterpreted it. ;)
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