imagine a movie called 'gali ka kutta bana crorepati' , and you have the answer to the question so many people are asking.."why an Indian , home grown director could not make a movie like slumdog". I thought slumdog millionaire was a superbly crafted, movie with an outstanding script , but I also think , that if the same movie , made the same way , were to be made by an Indian director , it would not have had such a resounding success..
Slumdog millionaire , a film which deals with the life of two brothers, brought up on the streets of mumbai , who spend there childhood running from religious fanatics, eye gauging mobsters, wading through the slush, shit and sewage ... and both ending up rich , is essentially a rags to riches tale retold.
So why does it rock?
Because it's so real ,it hurts.. it's so true that ,it demands your attention..
Movies like 'page 3', 'sarkar' 'company' traffic signal'.. have in ways shone us the gore before..
the bylanes of mumbai have been a backdrop in a lot of movies.Slumdog stands out because it is in english.. by a non Indian, and it amazes me that he has captured the essence of all that is Indian. Our almost devout love for film stars ,when young Jamal ,wades through shit to meet Amitabh. Our impoverished, who would sell what is closest to them for a few rupees. Our religious fanaticism, and needless loss of life thereof.Our street children and their plight, the blind beggars. the juta chors[shoe thieves] outside temples and mosques..
Our call centres , our 'kaun banega crorepati?'
The movie is not just about what to tell but how to tell it.. the taj mahal being a hotel scene..
the last question on the quiz show..
I am glad the movie was made outside of India, because we would not have valued it if it was made here.. because, it is soo real..like the beggars on the street..we see them every day.. and we have discussed it in our drawing rooms about the child beggars racket and how it is a flourishing business.. we speak of it like mundane ordinary everyday life.. because this is India..
but to the rest of the world .. like the American tourist in the movie..who gets excited on seeing the dhobi ghat in agra.. well for them this is a glimpse into the 'real india'.
But then it will take more than a movie to describe the real India.. till then we have 'slumdog millionaire'.