Review By: usha manohar Review Date: 16 May 2009
Volumes have been written about this film and all film goers across the world are aware of this film and its Oscar triumph.
Many years ago I read the novel City of Joy based in Calcutta . I simply loved the book - its realistic and honest description of a slum in Calcutta. When the book was being filmed , there were protests and people of Calcutta were up in arms against the filming which according to them would be showing the dark side of Calcutta and India in general..There are many similarities about City of Joy and the film Slum dog Millionaire, this film too has come in for a fair share of criticism and anger by the Indian masses, who feel that only the negative and unattractive side of India is being portrayed by the makers.
I was keen on watching this film , but, I must confess that, had there been no media hype which in turn generated a lot of interest , I would probably have not watched it. The name put me off , for one thing - and I generally do not watch many new Hindi or English Films .
However, I did go and see the film , and I liked it . I felt that it was a well made film, a lot like the eighties well made Hindi films . But somehow it did not justify winning 8 Oscars !
The film is realistic and well made with mostly forgettable tunes by composer A.R. Rahman. I dont seem to remember the tune of a single song and background scores. So much for the impact of the Oscar winning music on me !. Except for the last Jai ho which is more or less thrust on you , you simply cant miss it or ignore it .. . No doubt the tune o f Jai ho is very catchy , but not exceptionally so..So how come Rahman gets 2 Oscars for this ? I personally have a lot of respect for Rahmans talent and he is the best we have in the Hindi Film Industry
now. The fact is that he has composed much better music for films like Roja and Dil se..It almost seems as though Oscar for this film was a package deal.
My own feelings are that Oscar too has been changing like the rest of the world. Earlier there was an awe about it , even to get your film mentioned at the Oscars was a great achievement . There have been some great Indian films
that have been sent to the Oscars in the past , and in my opinion they were all much more deserving than Slum dog....but that was in the past when India was largely ignored at the Oscars , in spite of sending some stunning films directed by the likes of Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Bimal Roy, Shyam Benegal etc Coming back to the present, it may be that the general quality of the films made all over the world has gone down and thats why Oscar is what it is now! or India has found favor with the Oscar team.
Coming to the film- what I liked best about it is, the general mood of the film. It is positive in spite of all the depressing situations that the film depicts . You see the slum dwellers happy amidst all their wretched surroundings , trying to make the best of the worst situation. The director has been able to realistically portray the slum and the seedy dealings that go on there, I mean , we cannot pretend as if it does not exist. I frankly did not think that the film had any great messages to deliver . It is a simple story of struggle and ambition, even if it is only for the love of your life. The lead actors are not too bothered about money or wealth , all that they are looking for is fulfillment of their dreams..
I must have gone to watch the movie with a lot of preconceived ideas about how a film with an Oscar nomination should look like, and frankly , I was a bit disappointed . It was a good film, but it came nowhere near my imagination of a potential Oscar winning film . And, I felt that being nominated does not mean that the film is going to win an Oscar. And then came the awards function and I see that everyone connected with the film is going around with an Oscar !
Well ! Do I sound like a traitor? I hope I am not, because I am at a loss myself about my understanding of the film and its winning spree. I also keep wondering about those kids from the slums who went to the Oscar function , and after coming back , one of the kids was beaten up by his father because he refused to meet the media, only because he was catching up with his friends and games , back in his surroundings and was not too bothered . But the father clearly had other things on his mind ..I keep thinking, how all this is going to affect those kids? and is the Maharashtra CM serious about his promised home for the kids or is it just a publicity gimmick ? Are the kids going to behave like superstars in the slum or are they going to lead the same life that they did before Slum dog and the Oscars?
Clearly the 2 lead actors are going to make it big at least for the present..Frieda Pinto , with her lovely looks will make it big whether she has the required talent or not..So will young Dev Patel ..
Finally , the most irritating performance was by Anil Kapoor as the Quiz master with his Know all attitude, I know the role demanded it and he is a good actor...
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| Entertaining: | | | Comedy: | | | Story: | | | Acting: | | | Music: | | | Screen Play: | | | Value for Money: | |
Good: It is realistic and well made
Bad: too much hype
Recommend: Yes
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