Slumdog, slumgod yeah whatever??!

For an opinioned (if this term doesn't exist then assume its coined by me) person like me...it was difficult not to write on this subject when the entire world is going gung-ho about our (?) slumdog becoming a slumgod!! Even Amitji mentioned about this in his blog.. but then who says he isn’t opinioned (These days he seems to be having an opinion on almost everything…and the good thing is that he is freely expressing the same in his blog as well)..so how can I be left behind..!
So to start with.. there is nothing new in this movie compared to other movies made on the infamous Mumbai slums..except that this ends on a happy note!! I had a strong déjà vu feeling watching this movie and I could relate some of the scenes to Salam Bombay…So the conclusion is that nothing has changed so far!! :-( Some of us are ashamed about the underbelly of India being highlighted so shamelessly in a movie of Osacr caliber but the ones who could have done something to reduce this underbelly are busy overly stuffing their bully (read Indian politicians!).
However, if I just see this movie as a piece of entertainment without thinking about the slums (which is difficult) then clearly one person stands out!! He could not be seen there in the movie like the Anil Kapoors, Frieda Pintos who are making the best of their 2 minutes of glory!! Be it Bafta or Gloden Globe, Mr. Lakhan ( Anil Kapoor) was jumping as if the entire weight of this movie was on his shoulders..!! (probably I would have done the same had I been there in your place?) But lets make a few facts clearer here – To start with, the movie would have been a hit anyways whether Anil was there or not! Second thing – this is not an Indian movie. Just because there are few Indian actors in the movie does not make this movie a bollywood movie!
Lets face it…It’s an English movie directed by a hollywod director with an Indian story in the background! Only thing that is Indian is the story! The story that deserves every bit of appreciation for the way it’s written and told…kudos to Vikas Swarup for that..!!!
Then the movie could not have been showcased like this.. had it lacked the direction, so hats off to Danny Boyle for the treatment given to this subject!
Finally that one Indian person who stands out and who deserves this adulation, and attention is Mr. A R Rehman!! He is truly an Indian of international capabilities and I would say all he needed for the world to realize his brilliance was a Danny Boyle! ‘Jai ho!’ to Rehman!!! I would also specially like to mention our Mr. Gulzar for his superb lyrics year after year to the Indian cinema!
This post would not be complete without a mention to the kids who played the kid and adolescent roles and entertain the first half of the movie with their outstanding performance! I think they deserve to attend every award function more than any other actors!
p.s.: I would not be surprised if this movie gets nominated in the Indian award functions!! ;-)