Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Triumph of Slumdog Millionaire


A British film with an Indian soul strucks gold in America! Nothing symbolises it better than the picture above.

India has finally got it its due. It's Indian technicians today, it'll be Indian films tomorrow. As for Rahman he amazed millions of Indians with his very first score in Roja. I still remember the TV footage of "Chohti Si Aasha" from the movie. That was the first time I thought a movie from South India dwarfed Bollywood. Years later Rahman and his brand of music is entertaining not just the Indians but the rest of the world as well. After the Golden Globe and Bafta I was only hoping that he gets an Oscar. He got two (one he shares with the lyrics writer Gulzar for "Jai Ho")and that speaks for his talent.

Resul Pookutty winning for sound mixing was the real icing.

An Indian performing on stage for the Oscar ceremony, 3 Indians winning 4 trophies, a film with Indian connection gets the best picture nod and takes home 7 other trophies (only the 8th to do so), the Kodak theatre reverberates with a Hindi tune from an Indian composer - it can't get bigger than this! Jai Ho!

2 comments:

Anurag Vidyarthi said...

Hi Inam,

what would you say when an Indian gangster ask for 'Sandwitch'(I guess you noticed it too) ?.

I mean was it a movie which depicts India of today.......

Inam said...

Actually I didn't notice but the movie also showed the protagonist speaking fluently in English.

It's a work of fiction and the director was clever enough to chose the side of India which sells well in the west. Think of the Indian movies which made to the final academy nomination list in the past-Mother India (villages), Salam Bombay (street kids), Lagaan (group of peasants). And now one with an Indian theme but shot by a Britisher but having the same theme. Add Water (devdasis) to that list and you have a picture of India that's enshrined in the minds of the westerners.