Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Slumdog Millionaire's success and Big B's views


I'm sure everyone is aware of Slumdog Millionaire's stupendous success in Europe and America with awards at Golden Globes and nominations for the BAFTA awards and the expectancy for Oscars thereafter.If you aren't aware then click here.


What has created far greater media furor is not the movie itself but how Amitabh Bachchan criticised the movie on his blog and his comments have not gone down well with many of the film critics.




Amitabh Bachchan had earlier said :

"If SM projects India as Third World dirty under belly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky under belly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations. Its just that the SM idea authored by an Indian and conceived and cinematically put together by a Westerner, gets creative Globe recognition. The other would perhaps not."


I do not agree with The Big B's views like many others.Am the kind of people who would call a spade,a spade.If India is a third world country,it is a third world country.Its not that only the under developed countries are portrayed as poor in the movies,there have been many instances of developed countries being shown as under bellied too.The best example that comes to mind is,Erin Brockovich or The Pursuit of Happyness.Both of these movies showed how hard it was for the family to make ends meet.

Other point which he mentioned about the idea being used by the Westerner gets global recognition whereas the same cannot be said about an Indian doing the same.I wonder if any Indian film maker would move on from their concepts of love stories and "rona dhona" to interesting concepts as these.

P.S.Dharavi,the biggest slum in Asia is in Mumbai.Lets not forget the truth rather than reflect only upon the flowery picture of developing India.

What are your views on Big B's comments?

In the end,I would like to wish good luck to the whole crew of Slumdog Millionaire for the releasing of the movie in India on January 23rd and the awards nominations thereafter.

6 comments:

  1. Why should I care what other people think? I'll see the movie and decide for myself thankyouverymuch.

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  2. Its not a movie review.Its what Big B thinks of Slumdog Millionaire and its ideology which he disagrees with.

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  3. Eh whatever. He's entitled his opinion. I don't see what the big deal is about.

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  4. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but point is if his opinion is something that others agree with/disagree with.

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  5. I read this post and I can see where Big B is coming from as far as quality and acceptance goes. I'm one of those people who went in to Slumdog and felt like it was a general all-around feel good movie. I don't give it the critical acclaim so many people lavishly put on it.

    What bugs me about Big B's post is that there have been films about India's underbelly and they have been made by desi filmmakers. What keeps me at bay is Slumdog Millionaire is made for a western audience, that's it. The kids really steal the show, yes. However so do the little ones in Salaam Bombay.

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  6. I agree with you.Its not about the slum dwellers or about the poverty that they reside in.I don't think they even complain during the movie about their poverty.

    The kids are totally fabulous.In my view,they did a far better job as actors than what Dev Patel and Freida Pinto did.That's just my opinion.

    I don't think the movie is made especially for the western audience.It has a mix of everything and for everyone.We shouldn't forget the beginning hour or so was in Hindi which could have been easily dubbed into English,had it been made exclusively for the western audience.And not to forget that might not have had the impact the Hindi version did.

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