I am happy abt ARR's oscars for the reason that he and indian music get some international exposure. I do not know though if I should feel dissatisfied or proud that one of his not-so-bad compositions won the Oscar. Also, I am very concerned about the picture of India, painted by Slumdog Millionaire. There is no doubt that the movie has a really good story line and an effective screenplay but it was brutal reality and showing the most pathetic side of India to an international audience doesnt sound like such a good idea especially when many of them are unaware that civilization began with us (and the Egyptians and the Greeks). I realize the effect since I live in a foreign country amongst foreigners, many of whom have hardly any exposure to India. I had one of them ask me about the movie and I was actually glad he voiced it instead of just creating his own impressions and letting out caustic remarks some where, some time. I told him that if this was his first taste of India, I was sorry (and embarassed) about it and I gave him the swades DVD - also depicts reality but at the same time brings them out with a context and is evenly balanced !
This also made me wonder about why human beings have a tendency to like or appreciate bad news or misery -is it because the regular happy life is too mundane for us and we need a sort of perverted excitement from the wacky and unbelievably pathetic life of some less fortunate people ? The villain in ''Tomorrow never dies'' was right - no news is better than bad news ! Is this why the Pulitzer prize is awarded to a foto depicting an emaciated child in Somalia with a carcass on one side and a vulture waiting on the other side for the child to die and not a general webshots-like scenic pic ? Is this why White Tiger (another book depicting India at its worst) won the booker prize ? Is this why Balachandar movies are so popular - because almost none of them have the regular ''they-lived-happily-ever-after'' ending ?
I will be fair and look at the other side that art is at its best when the heart that represents it is moved and pained, substantiated with a lot of proof by numerous artists whose best works were done when they were heart-broken or in their death beds. The other point being spreading the ''naked'' truth awakens in some people, the desire to help, to reach out and do something for mankind and in some others, the hope to live and the yearning to cherish life, realizing how blessed they have been in comparison to the others.
I am not sure if I am saying all this to convince myself about the general human psyche or if this is a saving grace for my eternal optimistic attitude......but atleast it helps me assimilate the thoughts and not clutter my brain - I am strong believer of what Sherlock Holmes or rather Conan Doyle says w.r.t the brain being an attic with limited space and the more you store in it, the more cluttered it becomes and the more difficult it becomes to retrieve something that you often need ! (FYI: in case you havent read it already, I would suggest reading Sherlock Holmes. Even if you are not a detective story reader, I am sure you will appreciate the language and style of writing - complete collection is online http://www.ignisart.com/camdenhouse/)
Well, now that my attic is a little less full (:D), I can move on to the smaller articles that I want to retrieve.....
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Website Hit Counter I had decided to have a counter only after I hit a 1000 views and since it happened last week (as on 14 Dec 2009), now is the time to see some stats :)
I agree.. Just finished a three day argument ( yes, not a tournament, just an argument) on this topic with two friends... and trust me it lasted for three days... over email and in person whenever we chanced to catch up...
ReplyDeleteMy points are very simple : Rahman got his award some sixteen years late... he deserved this for Chinna chinna aasai...
That said, mumbai slums are bad, I agree.. it is a nice movie and well shot and nice attempt and great story line and lovely music and all that is fine... but then when it comes to awarding, am sure there are movies that dont hurt a country's image; whereas this one showed india's dark side... that was not correct...could have had some explicit dialogues that says about Indian confidence and Live your dreams type of thoughts about the kid..
last point... honestly, how does this movie actually help the condition in mumbai slum or bangalore or chennai or anywhere for that matter? Life is just the same for them still and they probably dont even have the cash to pay for a movie ticket to watch this movie... Who is the audience of this movie?? Elites? Government? Students? professionals? people who are not well provided? No one knows who is the target of this movie.. at least that is not explicit in the story line according to me..
I give it to the script though...
now, now.. this is what i wanted to post on my blog, but then it so happened that i filled ur page.. :)
good going...
In my opinion, this movie is rather overrated and so is the music. Rahman has produced many masterpieces that would leave this soundtrack dazed in their wake. May be its the hype that has propelled this movie and its soundtrack to unexpected heights.
ReplyDeleteI did not see a single scene in this movie showing Indians in good light. Even though the director is well within his rights to show the darker side of India (which is absolutely real and not exaggerated), certain scenes in this movie, not the least of which is the one in which the American tourist couple gives the beaten and bruised hero (when he was young) some money, saying 'here is a bit of the real America', are decidedly ill-willed. I mean, in reality, are the Americans generous and keep handing out money to the needy? No offence, but that made me laugh out loud in sarcasm and disgust. My reaction to the attention this movie has received and the way the western audience has lapped it up, has transformed itself into a single question: will the western audience whole-heartedly accept a similar movie made by an Indian (or any other third-world) director, depicting the ills of the western society? My opinion is echoed by the comment made by Matthew Schneeberger, an American journalist working in India:
'Say an Indian director travelled to New Orleans for a few months to film a movie about Jamal Martin, an impoverished African American who lost his home in Hurricane Katrina, who once had a promising basketball career, but who -- following a drive-by shooting -- now walks with a permanent limp, whose father is in jail for selling drugs, whose mother is addicted to crack cocaine, whose younger sister was killed by gang-violence, whose brother was arrested by corrupt cops, whose first born child has sickle cell anaemia, and so on. The movie would be widely panned and laughed out of theatres.'