A SURE WINNER, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

MOVIE: Slumdog Millionaire
DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle
CAST: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Ayush Khedekar
RATING:



Irrfan Khan gave a statement some days back, "This film will surely win the Oscars. There is a formula required to win the Oscars and this one has it." I promptly wondered what this formula is. Movies like Titanic and Lord of The Rings which were real sensations at the Oscars in the past got there because of a strong and innovative story line, backed by brilliant performances and excellent cinematography. But when it comes to India, though India has produced some gems in the past five years, Oscar has been a rare arena. Rang De Basanti a true winner on any front, failed to even qualify for the award . May be it was because no one wants to see the affluent, young and dynamic India create revolution or a historical backdrop which does not praise Gandhi. Many say that the west wants to see an India of poverty, a third world India and human emotions attached with their struggle to rise up from the third world conditions. That is I suppose the reason why Gowariker's Lagaan and not Swades was a winner. They thought that a Bollywood superstar wearing torn clothes and struggling for his pre-independence village playing cricket was more of an Oscar material rather than a dynamic Indian working in "their" NASA chosing to live in and for India was. I have many foreigner friends and whenever I ask them about what they know about India, they promptly talk about the Taj Mahal and then about the Indian slums. No wonder, having both these elements plus a white director, Slumdog Millionaire is a winner! Thats the formula Irrfan was talking about.

But saying all this does not take the credit away from this amazing cinema. The story line is unique and is guided by amazing performances and beautiful direction. But I am unsure of who did the majority of the direction. The locations of the movie are such that only an Indian, i.e, Loveleen Tandon (Asst Director) could manage the momentum of the movie efficiently. A westerner would have "boiled" in the summer heat of Mumbai. Let the controversies go their way, but I appreciate Tandon for her amazing casting.

So our protagonist, Jamal Malik, is one question away from winning 20 million rupees in Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? Anil Kapoor is the host of the show and is a grey character and his grey shades are unexplained. But he gives an amazing performance, especially with his expressions in the Jack Hobbs question. So how does Jamal Malik, a slumdog, a chaiwallah at a call centre get to participate in a show of this magnitude. And then after participating, how does he go on to win millions. Apart from these two questions, the movie has dealt with an amazing third question and that is, why does he come to the show? Thats something related to his love interest, Latika best portrayed by Freida Pinto. The character of Jamal, though excellently played by Dev Patel, Ayush Khedekar who plays the youngest Jamal leaves a permanent mark in the viewer's heart with a strong performance at such a young age.

If Jai Ho would have been a track from Ghajini or Yuvraj, it would be a two week temptation in the Indian radio. For a composer who has given greats like Roja, Dil Se, Taal, Lagaan, Jodha Akbar and numerous other albums, Jai Ho is a nothing track. If Jai Ho gets a Golden Globe even Shano Shano or Chhaiyan Chhaiyan should get one!! But the background score is really appropriate and peppy. Tracks like Paper Planes and Liquid Dance are really innovative and serve as an excellent background score. Ringa Ringa sounds more like Choli ke Peeche Kya Hai, but it is appropriate given the "Aye Saab" backdrop.

The movie claims to deal with the reality of the Indian dark lanes. It successfully does so. But what does not get digested in an Indian stomach is the fact that slum dwellers speak fluent British English and still work as prostitutes, call centre chaiwallahs, etc. The reason that this movie is made in English spoils the reality in a major section. This I accept was a compulsion to Boyle but it does damage the premise to a good extent. What keeps you at the edge of your seats is the screenplay by Simon Beaufoy and beautiful camera work and cinematography.


As Shah Rukh Khan said in his speech at the Golden Globes, "It is much more than a rags to riches tale." Its true. Slumdog Millionaire is much beyond the arguments of showing India in poor light or a guy chasing his love and ending up as a millionaire. The whole drama could have been based somewhere else, but the lustre of emotions and drama, that was successfully built, could be achieved only in the slums of Mumbai. This is because the slums of Mumbai are not only slums but a portrayal of a compact life, a symbol of cooperation and happiness amidst poverty, unhappiness and a corrupt system. Slumdog, though deals with a different topic, beautifully touches these delicate aspects, without hurting the Indian sentiments, as many are saying, may be because a Gowariker or Karan Johar did not make a Slumdog Millionaire.....