Don’t forget the slumdogs!
In the jubilation over Slumdog Millionaire, I don’t see anyone making much of the amazing kids from the slums who gave this film its very meaning. I think they were mentioned sometime, but hardly honored. The truth is if they hadn’t done an acting job that far surpassed any of the adults’, the movie would never have gotten off to a real-life start. But thanks to them, the dark dark world of Bombay’s slums was so I real I couldn’t even watch the first time round. I only got back to the movie many days later.
Personally, I have never ever been comfortable in Mumbai. The city has always depressed me. Traveling on one of the city’s everyday trains, I remember getting a full view of the slums and squalor. Not being an awfully cheerful sort, I found the dark underbelly completely smothering anything that was supposed to be glitzy and great about this “city of dreams’. It’s not that I think my city (New Delhi) is a better city. I just think that Mumbai has more than its fair share of harsh and disturbing realities. But I do realize that this is because I’m not staying long enough to see it any other way. After all, there’s a reason there’s an indomitable spirit to the city. There’s a reason Mumbaites love their Mumbai.
But back to the film. I love the way the movie weaves between the real and the incredible, the harsh and the tender, Jamal’s past and his present. I love the rush-forward, galvanized by AR Rehman’s music. The music was the heartbeat and pulse of this movie.
I don’t mind at all that the first one-third of the film is in hindi and then switches without explanation to English. To me that’snot part of the story but part of the movie’s mechanics. It didn’t interfere with anything for me. I don’t have a quarrel with how it suddenly turned totally Bollywood. I don’t even mind how coincidence has been stretched to breaking point. It’s every bit Indian.
It was a feast of a movie. Incredible acting by Dev Patel. Surefire choices by Loveleen Tandon. Amazing Danny Boyde. Anil Kapoor, not one of my favorite actors, was at his oily best. But I’ll never look at a street kid the same again, as most of them stay slumdogs – more or less -and never quite make it to millionaire. Here’s the boys on a train… See anything unreal about them?
I haven’t seen that yet, but it’s high on my list. From what I read, it reminded me of Bombay Dreams, a musical I saw in London in 2003. (Digging out the soundtrack…)
I thought the connection between Jamal’s past and the contest questions was superbly handled. Dev Patel was adorable too. The reality of turning children into beggers was heart-wrenching – esp where the boy is very simply blinded as he starts singing the begging tune well. But there were irritating gaps too. For one, I found the western accent on little Jamal out of place – he appeared too polished, almost like a public school kid in a hindi play. It felt that the early scenes should’ve been combined better. That the film could’ve been edited a bit more. Think it won because of a firang director’s ability to show the filth of a glitzy city.
Actually i tend not to be very analytical about a movie. i let myself go along with the story and if something happens along the way to turn me off real bad – I’m gone. As a movie, i found Slumdog an interesting experience. Now, of course, so much is being made of it by the media that it almost becomes difficult to capture the original experience.
The fact of showing the world Mumbai’s slums has been discussed all over the place. There have been films coming out of such environments before but they haven’t all been award-worthy. I think this one has taken a very sensitive and involving look at the reality of slums and then has turned all Bollywood in a way that doesn’t leave you frozen with the horror of it.
There are just so very many points of view!
Nadira, are you fairly into Indian films?
I’ve only seen a few, and mostly the higher-profile ones that are easily available in the states: Veer-Zaara (my favorite), Devdas (watched it twice before I returned it, and even just the youtube clips make me cry every time!), and Bride and Prejudice (a hollywood/bollywood crossover).
What would you recommend next? Netflix actually has a great selection, and I believe the Indian importer’s shop near my office carries DVDs…
Nadira, you cry in Bollywood movies?? Good thing you don’t live here, you’d be perpetually in tears!
I’m totally not a Bollywood person but here are some movies I liked
Taare Zameen Par
Parinita
Dor
Try ‘em! But you’ll have to share your favorite Bollywood clips and then we’ll all know what to recommend.
I was right! The youngest Latika and Salim are right in the slums where they were. Nothing has changed for them. The real stars of the film are living that story for real.
I had sent NDTV some mail suggesting they track down the kids and find out what happened to them. Well, whether they took my advice or their own, they did a little story on them. The kids are just wearing better clothes is all. How sad is that!
I’ll be watching this movie soon, my partner got it and we’ll be watching it once he recovers from the flu :-s
It’s really saddening with all the money earned from this ultra-successful movie nothing will go to the little protagonists and their families!!
reminds me a lot of the music industry where nowadays young artists apparently sell all the rights to their music to the publisher. No royalties like common before, nothing, a small sum for the entire bunch of rights. If it becomes a huge success they re not seeing a penny.
Or those old blues and jazz legends – they created songs which became a huge success, as pretty poor black folks they were more or less tricked into selling all their rights (which apparently was not yet the standard for white people in the industry then), and died very poor.
Or think Buena Vista Social club. ibrahim ferrer &co had created major popular hits sung in the streets by almost everybody for decades, never saw any substantial compensation and were found by Ry Cooder literally on the streets in some cases.
There s something wrong with entertainment business not awarding the people majorly involved in the success of projects at least some rights to royalties…
the movie’s really nice!
what a shame these kids are still there in misery :ยด(
I thought the ending was a bit much (need his lucky charm!) else I found it really good.
Which question-related story did you like best, found the most surprising?
I liked the “if it were not for Rama or Allah I d still have a mother”. That was especially heavy on the stomach..
Well, they’re not in absolute misery. They’ve got better clothes, a good sum of money and they’ve been moved to good schools. I just worry about those who will be ready to exploit them. And one thing that movie shows is how there are contradictory patches of joy and happiness even in such misery – that’s totally true.
The “bit much” part of it is just the movie turning Bollywood. And that’s exactly how India is! You’ll find every party ends on the same bit-much note, every Indian movie. At the drop of a hat, they’re ready to break into a corny bollywood song and dance. It seems to be very much in the character of this strange country.
Except for the coincidences and turning millionaire through a tv show, the rest if totally plausible. Here are some photos of real india http://s419.photobucket.com/albums/pp276/moontan624/India/?action=view¤t=68TruckHuddle.jpg