Yay! Slumdog Millionnaire was a huge winner at the Golden Globes. At last something is looking up for India.
This movie was shot by a foreigner, but starred an Indian crew. It was shot in Mumbai, but won accolades outside. It was a foreign film with an Indian soundtrack. A foreign director with Indian actors.
The win is in line with the storyline, in line with Indian cinema as well. Sweet dreams bordered by destiny, fighting odds, but leading to happy endings. The movie is essentially Indian. We fight, we fight the system, the enemies, the corruption, the sorrow, the poverty, but we win. We win in terms of happiness, culture quotient, hope and survival. This movie is that spirit captured on celluloid.
And a win for the music score (completely Indian with Mr Rahman making desi music - Thank you sir, you have made India truly proud), the director and the best movie of 2008, is a promising ray of hope for Indian cinema, and definitely India. After all, this is an Indian story of an Indian dream, shot in India with Indian actors, Indian music, and based on a book written by an Indian. This was one highly deserved victory, and one highly celebrated one as well. Cheers to India.
Just an afterthought - If Danny Boyle could manage to make a movie that was Indian in all respects, couldn't we Indians make a 100% Desi movie, complete with an Indian director? I mean I am happy about this win, but that kind of a win, might make a billion Indians ecstatic!
These awards truly feted talent - Kate Winslet for the Reader and Revolutionary road - a highly talented actress, who has always been eluded by golden statuettes, Slumdog Millionaire, and of course the man with the Golden Touch - Steven Spielberg who was given the Cecil B Demille award.
And finally - one thing caught my eye at the end of the ceremony - the Golden Globes are 'audited' by E&Y - a Big 4 accounting firm. So wow! The Big 4 cover everything - from fraud to the Golden Globes - Inspiring stuff indeed.........
This was one happy way to write my hundredth post at The Lilac Avenue!!!
2 comments:
Though i feel happy about the so called "Indian" Movie winning the Golden globe awards, i am also feeling frustrated with why i shud feel happy abt this.
Frustrated becos -
First - the storyline except for that its winded up with the Millionaire Plot, is nothing unusual. We have seen better Indian films with beautiful plots showing the indian slum life( Say " Salaam Bombay").
Second - the lead actor is just namesake Indian - If it wasnt for Patel in his name - he is nowhere near being an Indian. His performance was nothing great at all. Touch your heart and watch the movie again - can you really feel that he was in love. I felt the feeling only in the face young jamal and young salim. His accent was the worst. His brit ascent was over the top. Comeon when you can open the movie with hindi dialogues and english subtitles - you can continue with the same language and be successful being authentic( Say Babel,Kite runner).
Third- What was so dramatic abt the movie that it was given the Best drama. The everyday life potrayed of the Mumbai slum boys would have been dramatic for the Western audience. I pity them that they havent seen many of real indian movies which show the real depth of their life with better treatment. The movie was so superficial in the treatment.
Fourth - the climax was worse than any run of the mill indian movies. When i say climax i meantion the railway station hug scene. As i did like the part of salim. But again the screenplay was so open that the suspense would have been better with audience and jamal at the same time wait for his lady love to pick up the call. There was no drama. there was no thought deliberately or there was no deliberation because for the director even the gangster murder scene would have felt as more dramatic. But for us - we have scene these scenes on regular intervals. The end was so predicted and there was never a rush or thrill in watching him kiss her. Typical Western movie ending. It was so obvious that the director had wrong impression of Bollywood movies as condyfloss romance story telling machine.
Finally coming to your point of Indian directors winning it - all the above points makes it clear that winning awards needs contact and good netwrking and marketing skills than the real stuff. You can dare to differ but touch your heart - watch the movie again and think whether it is so great than any of the good indian movies you have watched.
I feel happy for
AR Rehman - who has time and again proved that he can do better things to bring cheer to India
Marketing of Indian Spirit and for
Never say die attitude shown in the movie with the moral of preserverance wins
I am confused with
India's image with this story.
Note : This story was written by Vikas while he was at London as a diplomat. I dont know whether it wasa coincidence or i believe it shud have been his inspiration - the story of scandal which happened in Britain.
Here goes the story -
London police arrested British army major Charles Ingram, 38, and his wife, Diana, 37 -- both champs of the British ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'' -- claiming that during a Sept. 10 taping, Major Ingram was aided by an accomplice in the audience coughing correct answers in code.
The disputed episode, in which Major Ingram won 1 million pounds ($1.4 million), has never aired.
On the day of the verdict, the Ingrams were each given 18-month prison sentences suspended for two years, each fined £15,000, and each ordered to pay £10,000 towards prosecution costs. Within two months of the verdict and sentence, the trial judge ordered the Ingrams to pay additional defence costs orders, Charles £40,000 and Diana £25,000.The Army Board invited Major Ingram to resign his commission.
you can also read abt this here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ingram
Regards,
Digitima
Hi Sindhu - Congratulations for completing 100 Blogs....Keep it up...
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