Its not just another movie about India's rawness by a 'foreigner'. Hard core reality, that is what it is. Quite unlike bollywood, shot in digital camera in the busy, the real Mumbai and not a staged slum. In bollywood, where the poor especially the modern poor never reach salvation, the movies are typically about family, marriages, murder revenges orfight sequences. But here is a story, shot with the help of the bollywood crew; a story of most of the slum kids in India who may never have been able to get such a feeling of sympathy on such a wide scale. A story of the east which is produced, directed, written, all in English.
Infact most part of the movie is in english and subtitles come handy whenever there are hindi dialogues. A kind of a marriage between bollywood and hollywood, in the cinematic heaven. It has all that a bollywood movie needs, to be popular; strong storyline, impressive new comers, and foot tapping number. Yet is so different from any other movie ever made about India. Yes, I am talking about Slumdog Millionaire, the movie that has gripped the western audiences so hard that it is being vouched for the next Oscar and nominated for other heavy weight awards against Hollywood biggies.
The reason I feel for the movie's success in the 'West' perhaps lies in the squalor, poverty and Dickinson kind of story that this movie deals with. Not to forget powerful performances by Dev Patel and beautiful Freida Pinto, the mesmerizing smile has done its magic.Yet thousands of miles apart in Dharavi (the largest slum in Asia), Mumbai, where the movie is based, little is known or heard about the movie. Mainly because the movie was released in US first and then yesterday in UK, it is going to be released in India on Jan 23.
The movie has been dubbed in Hindi and the title has been suitably titled 'Slumdog Crorepati'. But how realistic is the depiction of India anyways?
I did say in my
Now two points arise
1. Given today's scenario, how will such a hyped man(Jamal) escape media frenzy, who'd hoard him with typical question of "How are you feeling?"
2. If he is such a big cheat, it would become even bigger story and Police would be grilled and television would bustle with exclusive stories from right in front of his slum.
No such thing happens and Jamal's tale continue as he resurrects after having survived the deadly 'third degree'.
Another scene where young Jamal is shown running, covered in faeces, pushing the
crowd away to get the autograph of his dream man Amitabh Bachchan???? This scene
was nauseating, true to the extent only where people make money out of a cesspit, I'm sure no kid would ever run like this ever and whether Amitabh Bachchan would sign an autograph?, I doubt!
The riots come out of no where and Jamal loses his mother, and befriends Latika, the love of his life. I can ignore the fact that portrayal of Lord Ram in this scene seemed more of a 'combo' of Lord Shiva and Lord Krishna.
The film is mostly in english, except for perhaps one third where the dialogues of the young kids are in Hindi. When the kids grow up to be adolescents they are able to speak gramatically correct english.(quite miraculously.. I thought this could happen only in a Bollywood movie)
The sets of Kaun Banega Crorepati (Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire), is all real with the same background music and set except for the way the contestant tea vendor Jamal is treated. The impolite and rude ways that Prem (Anil Kapoor), host of the show taunts Jamal and the way audience too becomes a party to it. My contention- No show on Indian television ever at least on screen is biased to the economically weaker section.
The call center scene seems most unreal. No cell phone data is available readily at the click of a button as yet in telephone directories. Jamal is able to find his lost brother Salim's number easily, at a click.
The song 'Darshan Do Ghanshyam' that the children are made to mug in order to earn better is not penned by Soordas, as claimed in the film, but by Gopal Singh Nepali for the movie Narsi Bhagat.
The film amidst the grittiest reality gives us the taste for fantasy, and that's what makes this film stand out. How Indians would react to this film especially for somebody like Jamal(before he won the show), who'd most likely watch it in the many 'Talkie' style single screen, will be really interesting to know. The urban will surely give in to the hype that surrounds this movie.
Also Read: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE-REVIEW
3 comments:
Neha,
This is another excellent write-up on Slumdog from your side.
I have my own views on some of the points raised by you, But, I must confess that I am an ‘insider’ having spent more than 20 years as a professional in philanthropy and social development. I have had the opportunity of visiting both slums and villages on work on a regular basis
The toilet scene and the kid running to the Big Bee with shit all over may sound ridiculous and unimaginable. However, we must remember that hygiene is virtually unknown for slum kids. The makeshift toilets are far away from home. There is only an open drainage running outside the house. The writer of an article on Slumdog in yesterday’s Guardian visited a slum and said’ Like the setting of the film, Delhi's Wazirpur slum is lined by shacks packed so tightly they are accessible only by walking in single file past oozing sewers’. Many mother would make the babies shit in these drains. In the nights sometimes the adults do to. The point which I am trying to make is that a 5 year old boy in the slums, does not have any idea of hygiene. In fact, even today if a newspaper tells me that a slum kid swam 50 meters in a drain to meet SRK, I would not be surprised. Bollywood stars are higher in priority than Gods.
'Amitabh' may have thought the boy had gone through slush and not shit...the stink may not have been there. For us it was obvious because we saw it happenning!
ld be mistaken for
Did you notice the ingenuity of these two brothers portrayed in the toilet scene? Salim was next in the queue, and he actually sold his position to the other guy – the man in the hurry!! An innovative way to make money! This too happens in the slums.
Sudhir
Beautiful write up, and nice way to give an absolutely new look to the picture.Good selection of words. Keep it up.
Yes Sudhir.. very insightful indeed.. I agree to some extent when u say "we must remember that hygiene is virtually unknown for slum kids "... We see that in slums across the roads... anywhere around us.. makeshift toilets.. and the stench..
I too read that article about Delhi's Wazirpur area.. I stay pretty close by..and whether a particular location like this or any other.. slums I guess are still way beyond hygiene..
I must say.. you have quite an imagination... when you say:'Amitabh' may have thought the boy had gone through slush and not shit...the stink may not have been there."...
HMMM It was too obvious... for us!
As far as the scene where Salim sells his spot for money it happens..and is so evident right around us...
Thanks for the great insight again!
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