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Slumdog Millionaire – Jai Ho 81st Academy Awards

Jai Ho! This seems to be the preferred greeting of many Indians around the world. And why not? These two words resonate in the ears of all Indians, they resonate from the depths. Jai Ho Danny Boyle, Jai ho AR Rahman, Jai Ho Cast and Crew of Slumdog Millionaire and Jai ho 81st Academy Awards !!! What a wonderful gift to the Indian film industry! Eight Oscars for a basically Indian film is the way it is perceived. And why not, why not. Although the film is technically a British film, it has the maximum participation of Indians. Listed below are several other reasons why it should be hailed as an Indian movie. Take a critical look: –

  • The film is based on a novel called Questions and Answers by an Indian diplomat and part-time writer Vikas Swaroop.
  • The entire cast of the film is of Indian origin.
  • The film’s co-director is a girl from Delhi, Loveleen Tandon.
  • The movie is completely shot in India.
  • The quintessential film is Indian.
  • One third of the film is in Hindi.
  • Director Danny Boyle confessed that “it is the highest compliment to me that people in India see Slumdog Millionaire as an Indian film.”
  • Most of the technicians are Indian, including Oscar winner for sound mixing – Resul Pookutty.
  • All the songs in the movie are in Hindi.
  • Vanity Fair magazine recently mentioned that Slumdog Millionaire is inspired by Black Friday and Satya, both Hindi movies. Even Danny Boyle recognized it.

There are many more subtle reasons. The list goes on and on. The film is completely a Bollywood genre film with its unique masala (spice) and that is indisputable. The scene of the two little boys falling off the moving train and getting up like grown children is typically Bollywood. We have seen all of that in many Hindi movies. So when soul and body are Indian, one cannot help but assert that Slumdog Millionaire is essentially an Indian movie. Even more so when even the inspiration for the movie are two Hindi movies: Black Friday and Satya.

Paying tribute to the film’s Indian spirit, Hollywood’s Kodak Theater resonated with the rhythms of Jai Ho and O Sayya with Western dancers dressed in dazzling pink Indian Lehnga costume and drummers in traditional Indian dhoti. The audience swayed to the Indian sing-song melody performed by AR Rahman.

Times Square is reported to have people testing their lungs by chanting O Sayya at the top of their lungs. Jai Ho already has an English remix version, sung by the Pussycat Dolls and the video is filmed in a Vienna train station.

So why are critics in India so confused? Why are we so concerned that the underbelly of Mumbai has been exposed? Some have even charged that poverty in India has been shown to the Western public for exploitation. I totally agree with Aupam Kher when on a TV show he commented that maybe some critics will take on the task of criticizing Slumdog Millionaire just to get noticed. Consider the following points and make your own decision: –

  • The film is based on the lives of two boys from a slum in Mumbai. So what is the problem? Don’t all developing countries have this slum problem? Brazil’s favelas and the marginal neighborhoods that surround them are well known around the world for their extreme poverty and crime. Kibera in Nairobi is the largest slum in the world and conditions are pathetic to say the least. In fact, one third of the world’s urban population lives in slums!
  • Poverty has not been underlined at Slumdog Millionaire. In fact, it is the human spirit that has shown itself. Where do you see poverty as the central theme of the film? On the other hand, the film highlights the fact that two children with imagination and courage do it on their own in cities in India. Poverty is nothing new to the Western public. They see real poverty in images of Africa and war-torn countries. What has been shown in the movie is nothing compared to the real poverty that exists in the world today.
  • Go back to the 1970s and you will see that Indian parallel cinema actually portrays abject poverty in India in good measure. The central theme of those films was poverty in India. Those films and their directors were hailed by the same critics who brought those films to world forums for recognition and acclaim. Why double standards now when poverty is not the main theme of Slumdog Millionaire? It is simply a story of rags to rich with a proper dose of Bollywood masala.

Now look at what Slumdog Millionaire has done to the Indian film industry. In this economic downturn, when the Indian industry cartel boys are busy protecting themselves from being eliminated, here is the Indian film industry that will benefit greatly from Slumdog Millionaire. Show the facts below: –

  • World has recognized the talents of Indian technicians in filmmaking. As a cost-cutting measure, Hollywood’s work will now be outsourced to India. This will be similar to the saga of IT outsourcing to India.
  • Indian producers have now realized that with little change to the Bollywood masala they produce, they can now target the global audience. Acceptance is not a problem, only if the Indian curry is not too spicy for the global audience. This fact has been amply demonstrated by Slumdog Millionaire.
  • Instead of targeting 2% of revenue, the Indian film industry can now target the remaining 98% of revenue that the global film industry offers. Imagine the expansion this Indian industry can achieve, only at the cost of slightly shifting its focus towards global audiences and their preferences. Slumdog Millionaire has not only shown, but opened that door to the Indian film industry.
  • The joint ventures will be spawned as global producers watch the magic of the Indian film industry, right down to its song and dance sequences, being devoured by global audiences. Just show the bottom line for Slumdog Millionaire – the movie has already grossed $ 163 million at the box office against a budget of $ 15 million. Doesn’t it make pure business sense?

However, there are people in India who are not happy with Slumdog Millionaire. You decide if Slumdog has been a blessing in disguise for India or not. India’s Indian film industry is poised to replace India’s IT industry, courtesy of Slumdog Millionaire. Let’s all celebrate. Jai Ho!

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