Slumdog Wins Best Picture Oscar
(For GK, Gandhiji & his many avatars, The Gora & Terraferrous)
All ye Bollywood curs, hang your heads in shame because the Slumdog is soon gonna expose you.
An Oscar-worthy gem and the finest movie made in India this century, Slumdog Millionaire (based on the novel Q and A by Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup) is coming to India in January.
Naturellement, as fine a movie as Slumdog Millionaire can’t be from a Bollywood director (although plenty of Indians do feature in this English movie directed by British filmmaker Danny Boyle, produced by Christian Colson and distributed by Fox Searchlight).
Outstandingly executed, Slumdog Millionaire is the riveting life-story of an 18-year-old Mumbai ‘slumdog’ and chaiwallah Jamal (Dev Patel) who happens to win the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire much to the bafflement and chagrin of the program’s host (Anil Kapoor).
Jamal is a slumdog, with his roots deep in the bowels of Mumbai’s slums. Ergo, he must be cheating in some way to get at the right answers. Right?
So this young man is promptly dispatched to the police station where Jamal undergoes what thousands of Indians unfortunate enough to enter the precincts of a police thana experience everyday across the country – merciless thrashing.
When the beatings don’t work, the police inspector (Irrfan Khan) ups the ante telling his underling Srinivas (Saurabh Shukla a.k.a. Kallu Mama of Satya) – A little electricity will loosen his tongue. Give him.
But even the electric shocks administered by Srinivas don’t yield a confession of cheating from the young boy, who resolutely maintains – I knew the answers.
How does young Jamal know the answers to difficult questions that would stump even the most educated Indian. Like for instance, whose figure adorns a $100 bill?
No, we won’t tell you how Jamal knows the answers to some of the most difficult questions.
All we’ll tell you is that Jamal goes on to tell the police inspector an incredible story that is brought to life in an extraordinary manner rarely seen on the big screen in India or elsewhere.
Slumdog Millionaire is not merely a magnificent movie but it’s also the most absorbing portrait of India we’ve seen on the big screen.
And that’s what raises Slumdog Millionaire to the level of a classic – its amazing portrayal of the wonder and chaos and injustice that’s India.
The filthy slums, the abject poverty, the Hindu-Muslim violence, the Bollywood craze, cricket mania, Mumbai underworld, horrific exploitation of young children, the ‘new’ India rising over the demolished slums of Mumbai, police brutality, the call centers, inexplicable goodness in some souls, the packed commuter trains et al – nay, the very essence of India is distilled and captured with unusual verve and dexterity in the moving story of Slumdog Millionaire.
Hey, director Danny Boyle seizes on, and brings to life, even the Indian fascination with Amitabh Bachchan.
A Poignant Tale
Explaining how he answered one question relating to Lord Ram in the Who Wants to be a Millionaire contest, Jamal tells the police inspector in one of several poignant moments in the movie – If it weren’t for Ram and Allah, we’d have a mother.
But Slumdog Millionaire is more than just a sob story. It’s a fine amalgam of the tragic, the comic, the fatalistic and the anarchic elements of life in India today.
Younger Jamal Dazzles
More than the grownup Jamal, it’s the young Jamal played by Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, who cast a bewitching spell on us. All of our Bollywood veterans are zeroes before this young boy.
The younger version of Salim (Jamal’s elder brother) is also played with elan by Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail.
Compared to Ayush and Azharuddin, Dev Patel (who plays the grownup Jamal) and Freida Pinto (cast as the older Latika, the love of Jamal’s life) prove to be disappointing.
But even the less-than-compelling performances of Dev and Freida can’t dim the lustre of Slumdog Millionaire for such is the power of the camera, the allure of the story and the depth of the screenplay. And of course, there’s A.R.Rehman’s music as well.
Tired as we are of the endless run of ugly monsterpieces coming out of the Bollywood cesspool, Slumdog Millionaire is that rare masterpiece set oddly enough in the Mumbai cesspool.
Yes, literally in one early scene in the movie Jamal emerges out of the cesspool.
If you love movies as passionately as we do, if those moving images on the big screen in a dark room excites you as much as it does us, if a gripping narrative on the screen raises the hair on your hands like it invariably does to us, go watch Slumdog Millionaire.
By the way, watching Slumdog Millionaire after seeing Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is like using Listerine to get rid of the unpleasant taste of a bad meal.
(Slumdog Millionaire is in limited release in the U.S. now – nationwide on December 19 – and is set to come to Indian screens in January.)
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Slumdog Millionaire Sweeps Golden Globes; Thrilled
A.R.Rahman Wins Golden Globe; Hooray
Slumdog Millionaire Wins Best Picture Golden Globe
Danny Boyle Wins Golden Globe for Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire Wins Golden Globe
Slumdog Millionaire – How the Critics See it
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Slumdog Millionaire Review – A Non-Bollywood Indian Masterpiece added by SearchIndia.com on
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Slumdog millionaire- the finest movie made in India this century? are you serious or is it a hyperbole? how did you find Anil Kapoor in the film? the director was lavishing praises on him when interviewed on a news channel here….
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: Slumdog millionaire- the finest movie made in India this century? are you serious or is it a hyperbole?
Not hyperbole. Very serious.
Director Danny Boyle knows how to tell a story. You might want to see this.
Slumdog Millionaire is a lovely movie.
2. You write: how did you find Anil Kapoor in the film? the director was lavishing praises on him
Anil Kapoor doesn’t have that big a role in the movie. The director must have been in a charitable mood.
here’s an interesting article….old but ineresting..
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/08/01/10056733.html
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We are skeptical of the below sentence in the above Gulf News piece on beggars…
I am not gonna read the review, even if you taunt me. Want to be surprised.. I have huge expectations.. let’s see.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Just read the first line (absolutely nothing about the movie in it).
The damn movie was not running in our city when I wanted to go out for a movie last month… I went Colonel Nathan Jessop (Code Redbox) on movie theaters.
I’ll make it a point to watch it in a theater.. during Xmas.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
People think we are harsh on Indian movies.
After they watch Slumdog Millionaire, people will (hopefully) realize how clueless our Indian filmmakers are when it comes to telling an entertaining story. Slumdog Millionaire is a good frame of reference because it’s a movie made in India.
Indian film-makers are a bunch of buffoons, for the most part. Rank amateurs all.
hey do u guys know when it will be released wide?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Slumdog Millionaire showtimes in the U.S.
12/19/2008 – Nationwide, according to MovieTickets.com.
you have gone overboard with praise ..so will defn see the movie …..
SI: All ye Bollywood curs, hang your heads in shame because the Slumdog is soon gonna expose you.Tired as we are of the endless run of ugly monsterpieces coming out of the Bollywood cesspool.By the way, watching Slumdog Millionaire after seeing Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is like using listerine to get rid of the unpleasant taste of a bad meal.
then you say
SI:People think we are harsh on Indian movies.
Stick to the movie while reviewing ..rather than abusing all and sundry including those who dont agree with your review …
Ya Ya if possible I will stay away from the keyboard
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write above: you have gone overboard with praise ..so will defn see the movie …..
No, No. We have not gone overboard with the praise. Just given Slumdog Millionaire its due.
2. You write: Stick to the movie while reviewing ..rather than abusing all and sundry including those who dont agree with your review …
We are NOT abusing anyone here. All visitors and subjects of posts on SearchIndia.com are treated with utmost deference including our blithering idiot of a “Mission Unaccomplished” dodo of a President George W. Bush.
Many years back we owned a slang dictionary (not the Eric Partridge book) in which we remember reading that when one Black calls another Black Motherf*****, it’s actually a term of endearment.
Now now, we don’t want you or anyone else getting affectionate towards us with desi terms of endearment. Comprende.
**************
SearchIndia.com – Your most unbiased source for Hindi, Tamil and English movie reviews (and soon to come – Kannada movie reviews).
Thanks for putting a note on A.R.RAHMAN….being a rahmaniac i can hope for the least…he has got a golden globe nomination,hope he wins it….
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We would be surprised if Slumdog Millionaire doesn’t run off with a whole bunch of awards.
More than a pleasant suprise that Slumdog is getting praises from ya. Gotta check it out (Jan you said)..
Catch ‘Maharathi’ if you can; better than Rab de..
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: Catch ‘Maharathi’ if you can;
Maharathi never made it to the U.S. (as far as we can tell).
Hi SI – I have been avidly reading your posts. Must say I agree with most of your movie reviews. I recently watched Maharathi…it’s a good movie. Paresh Rawal and Naseeruddin are anyway my favourites. Both have done an excellent job… I believe this was originally Paresh’s Gujju play that has been running in Bombay for the last 21 years. Good story and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Thanks for the input on Rab ne…..I will wait for Ghajini instead and also notch up Slumdog on my list of must sees.
Re your review on Dostana…..kept me in splits…sadly, I read the review after I watched the movie and believe me, it was very, very hard to keep watching the movie till the end. It’s times like these when I suspect I have a strong streak of the S&M in me! “S” because I inflicted the beastly movie on my better half who then became a bitter half and “M” ’cause I made myself sit till the end, wanting to see how much more drivel they could dish out.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: I will wait for Ghajini instead and also notch up Slumdog on my list of must sees
To use a popular Indian expression, Slumdog Millionaire is paisa vasool.
I’m gonna watch this over the weekend. I’ll come back and let you know whether your review is solid or not.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: I’ll come back and let you know whether your review is solid or not
Thank you, Guruji.
We await your solid or liquid verdict with mucho anticipation.
=D
i read your Elizabeth:the golden age review only today…the music is by Craig Armstrong,A. R. Rahman…bt its given as Marc Streitenfeld…i cudn’t find any other appropriate place to put this…
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Fixed. Thanks.
you were right.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: you were right
You forgot to write as always at the end of your short sentence. 🙂
you were right, for once…this was one of the few reviews where u didn’t overdo it, as always.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Now that we have your approbation, we can die in peace.
Wow, what a movie !
The sheer idea of narrating your life through the questions and answers of a game show is brilliant in itself.
The chota Jamal (one who doesnt mind getting into shit to get a glimpse of Bachchan) and his friends chota Salim and Latika are the best things in the movie. The elder Jamal looks too polished and too upper-class to be a slum kid. You may call it as a bad casting choice.
The same goes for the elder Latika.
The Bollywoodish song-and-dance at the end (at the railway station) was uncalled for, in a movie that resembled Bollywood only in the matter of happy endings.
BTW, have you watched Bharatiraja’s Bommalattam starring Nana Patekar ?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write above: BTW, have you watched Bharatiraja’s Bommalattam starring Nana Patekar ?
No.
2. You write: The chota Jamal (one who doesnt mind getting into shit to get a glimpse of Bachchan) and his friends chota Salim and Latika are the best things in the movie.
We agree.
To me..the movie was fine till they grew up to the teen years! In fact uptil that point, it was really good.
All of a sudden, he starts talking in english and taking tours of foreigners around the taj mahal. From thereon, the movie just seemed contrived. Had I been a foreigner watching the movie, I might probably appreciated it but being an indian living in india and having some, albeit limited view of the slums etc, such inaccuracies were sub-consciously magnified.
Also, they could have done away with the crappy dance sequence at the end of the movie. Those 2 cant dance for nuts!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: Had I been a foreigner watching the movie, I might probably appreciated it but being an indian living in india and having some, albeit limited view of the slums etc, such inaccuracies were sub-consciously magnified.
You may have a point here.
We’ve been out of India for so long that we didn’t get that odd, contrived feeling you did.
test….i thought i left a comment…or does it get “monitored” before getting posted?
if it does get monitored…please dont bother publishing this comment!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: i thought i left a comment…or does it get “monitored” before getting posted?
Yes, the comments get monitored by a live human being (though many of our readers would disagree with our reference to ourselves as human).
(But Monitored is not the same as censoring, which we seldom do as is obvious from the overwhelming criticism of our posts here.)
We work on U.S. EST (so sometimes it may take a while for us to get to your comment). But be rest assured that we eventually will.
This movie is being seriously hyped. There have been quite a few movies about how shitty things are in India, Salaam Bombay being a pioneer. It was different and well-made. And when a B-grade Hollywood movie director makes a C-grade movie on this subject, the critics can’t still have enough of it.
I found the movie stereotypical, hackneyed and contrived. It will be really sad if this trash wins even one award.
I agree this is still better than the Bollywood trash. But that is setting a really low bar.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1.You write above: I found the movie stereotypical, hackneyed and contrived.
That’s not true.
The concept of using a quiz show like Who Wants to be a Millionaire to narrate the hard life story of a slumdog was quite novel.
The young Jamal & Salim were a treat to behold on the screen.
2. You write: There have been quite a few movies about how shitty things are in India,…
Why not? Actually we need more movies about how shitty things are in India rather than the blatantly false Bollywood image of India shining. Maybe things wil then improve.
The simple fact of the matter is that India is a shitty country, literally & figuratively. Some three or four million Mumbaikars don’t have a toilet and treat any public space as their private toilet.
As for the shitty villages in India, the less said the better. Take a few steps on the outskirts of any village and you are walking literally on a carpet of shit. According to the last census (2001), there were 638,365 villages in India. So that makes it 638,365 large open-air toilets.
Sorry SI, but this movie is indeed the most over-hyped offering from India since “Lagaan”, and you fell for it hook, line and sinker. As some people have said, YOU REALLY need to get more in touch with your roots to smell the bulls**t of contrived plots. If you call this a masterpiece (GHANNTAAAA!!!), then I’d personally have to ask you to
a. See MORE GOOD Indian films. I have seen movies about the “gritty cum shitty” side of India that are vastly superior this over-hyped mediocrity and yet, have gone un-noticed. Trust me…there are MANY!
b. Stop touting someone’s mediocre product as a masterpiece just because they previously directed a critically-acclaimed “Trainspotting” and a commercially successful “28 days later.” It does look like it that way, and could be (mis)construed as being parochial. A mediocre movie is a mediocre movie, whether it’s directed by Krishna, Jesus, or Mohammad. Talking of “28 days later”, that was another over-hyped offering that was only moderately good.
This movie IS getting all the buzz because it’s DANNY BOYLE as director and not some unknown “bechara” like Manish Jha who directed a gem of a movie in “MATRUBHOOMI” or Tapan Sinha, who directed “EK DOCTOR KI MAUT.” By the way, these two movies I just mentioned, ARE INFINITELY SUPERIOR in storytelling and execution when it came to displaying the stark horrors of the Indian society and/or its political machinations. When you see Tulip Joshi (half Indian, half Armenian) deliver a sterling performance in “Matrubhoomi”, you’d never believe that this young lass couldn’t even speak Hindi properly, let alone Bihari-Hindi, prior to this film. Compare that to Dev Patel’s agonizingly stone-faced performance and being completely out of his element, despite the fact that he did not even have to learn Hindi. Considering the guy couldn’t even keep his English accent completely under wraps, I don’t ever see him pulling off a Tulip Joshi in Matrubhoomi. I wonder what Danny Boyle’s daughter was smoking when she recommended this fruit-face to her dad.
On that note, let me be as forthcoming as possible here- THIS MOVIE IS NOT OSCAR MATERIAL!!! That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if this movie gets an Oscar nomination. After all, what else can you say about a bunch of clowns (the selectors) who gave gave precedence to Denzel’s Alonzo Harris (Training Day) over Crowe’s John Nash (A Beautiful Mind), just so they could nullify the “injustice” done to Denzel’s Ruben “Hurricane” Carter (The Hurricane) in 2000. Let’s also not forget these were the same idiots who also successfully placated Scorsese by giving his MOST MEDIOCRE (yes, you heard it!) and THIRUTTU-version (well, not exactly :p) of “Infernal Affairs”…aka “The Departed” the best director and movie (GASP!!) of the year, just because they shoo-ed him to the side when it came to his VASTLY superior previous works. Lastly, if this movie gets the Oscar nod, I’ll feel vindicated about my statement about the Academy Award’s selectors.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Unless the lexicographers changed the definition of mediocre while we were watching Secuestro Express, by no stretch of imagination is Slumdog Millionaire a mediocre product.
2. Slumdog Millionaire may be much hyped now but that does not detract from the fact it’s a pretty good movie, particularly in the context of movies coming out of the subcontinent.
3. Yes, we agree on the stiff Dev Patel.
We made the point too in the review that Dev Patel was so-so.
As we said: Compared to Ayush and Azharuddin, Dev Patel (who plays the grownup Jamal) and Freida Pinto (cast as the older Latika, the love of Jamal’s life) prove to be disappointing.
4. Hope to watch Matrubhoomi in a few days.
5. Yes, the Oscar is a tricky thing. Spielberg too was given the cold shoulder by the academy for a long time. Actually, now we’d root for Gran Torino.
“Unless the lexicographers changed the definition of mediocre while we were watching Secuestro Express, by no stretch of imagination is Slumdog Millionaire a mediocre product.”
Agree to disagree, then. The movie just did not do much for me. I did not find ONE adult character I could be sympathetic towards, and that really is the basis of the story. Even the teenage versions of the principal characters sucked. It’s only those kids who did a good job. However, the kids and teens are there to only give an introspect into the lives of Jamal, Salim, and Latika. The movie TRULY rested on the adult characters, and they failed to deliver.
Really, Danny Boyle cannot be a good director if he cannot get the main adult characters to emote properly. Jamal’s character is, as per the events in the film, supposed to have inordinate amount of suppressed rage and cynicism towards the world. Instead Dev Patel displays it with the alacrity of a village bumpkin (something we agree upon). The adult Salim looked like a perched owl, hooting every now and then and the adult Latika looked like she was modeling for a brand of fertilizer on “Krishi Darshan (an agricultural show on Doordarshan).” How could a GOOD director not coax a better performance out of these people?
In addition, any comparison of this movie to the usual Bollywood fare is unwarranted. This is Independent cinema and THUS MUST BE compared to any offering from India’s “parallel” cinema field. That said, I take “Paar”, “Aakrosh”, “Aghaat”, “Manthan”, “Nasoor”, “Daamul”, “Bazaar”, “Sparsh”, “Mandi”, “Ankur”, “Mirch Masala”, “Party”, “Kamla”, “Matrubhoomi”, “Maqbool”, “Ek Doctor Ki Maut”, “Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin” and any ONE of these movies would run over “Slumdog Millionaire” like a pack of elephants in ‘must’. Even “Ram Teri Ganga Maili” and “Taare Zameen Par”, both commercial BOLLYWOOD movies, are better than SM in execution and compelling storytelling.
Like I said earlier, you haven’t seen anything yet from India’s parallel field. It’s time you bid adieu to the usual Bollywood crap for a while and seek out those independent Indian movies like the ones listed above.
“Hope to watch Matrubhoomi in a few days.”
You won’t regret it. However, if you’re like me, you might not want to see the movie in its entirety again…and I mean that in a good way. The depiction of the girl’s (Tulip Joshi) suffering, from a personal standpoint, was unbearable enough for me to just barely sit through the one time I saw it. You’ll find yourself very attached to her character, and even though she doesn’t have a lot of lines, the array of emotions she successfully conveys in every frame of the movie is more than enough.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write above: Really, Danny Boyle cannot be a good director if he cannot get the main adult characters to emote properly.
True.
What they say about the whole sometimes being greater than the sum of its individual parts is valid here. The total impact of Slumdog is so strong that people overlook certain weaknesses because of the powerful imagery and story. Here’s a cross-section of critics on Slumdog Millionaire.
2. You write: The adult Salim looked like a perched owl, hooting every now and then and the adult Latika looked like she was modeling for a brand of fertilizer on “Krishi Darshan (an agricultural show on Doordarshan).”
Funny. 🙂
Good movie …
Music was good and by A R Rahman …unlike our guys …Danny Boyle did not fall for it at the expense of the narrative (script) and kept it limited to being a background score …
A Famous guy getting hauled up in a police station for the whole night …without getting noticed and tortured with electric shocks …just because a show host feels he has cheated ….is something which cannot be digested ….way too bizzare ……maybe it could have been Jamal telling this story to a reporter or something else ….
Anil Kapoor looked as if he was not slept and shaven for days together ….he is a guy who’s debonair even at this age ….the director should have paid more attention in presenting him well..
Nevertheless considering that the movie was good …these things can be overlooked
I would also disagree with people who say this movie got noticed because of Danny Boyle …. any movie with good content will get noticed and appreciated
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: I would also disagree with people who say this movie got noticed because of Danny Boyle …. any movie with good content will get noticed and appreciated
Very true. The powerful story is the hero here.
Strong stories can propel low budget films to success & talented actors can shine even in small roles.
Look at Manoj Bajpai & Saurabh Shukla (Kallu Mama) in a low budget film Satya. Saurabh Shukla also plays Irrfan Khan’s assistant/constable Srinivas in Slumdog Millionaire.
BTW, what’s the response to Slumdog Millionaire In India & is it in wide release?
I Agree with avynne’s view when it says
“I found the movie stereotypical, hackneyed and contrived.”
Now who would bash a movie which has all the critics in the world raving about and the film has won most of the awards it was nominated for.
Here’s a request: Even if a movie is almost perfect, You must find some flaws/faults with anything like story, script, technical errors, etc.
And no matter how crap a bollywood movie is, try mentioning some silver linings, few good scenes, or anything watchable.
This is usually the trend followed by all the critics in the world, but I know You are very different.
Terrorists, the Communists, and most of us indians, they all have been brainwashed to great extent.
Can i have your permission to add You SI.com Guys to this List. If not why?
Now Here’s my favourite joke. Please Don’t be offended like most of your commentators.
What’s the difference between God and the SI.com Guys.
Answer: God Never thinks he is a SI.com film reviewer.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: Terrorists, the Communists, and most of us indians, they all have been brainwashed to great extent.
Can i have your permission to add You SI.com Guys to this List. If not why?
The only list you may add us to is the Bolly-washed list. After watching so many Bollywood movies, we feel our brains have been washed away.
“An Oscar-worthy gem and the finest movie made in India this century”
For a movie to be called a masterpiece, there must not be any loop holes..(At least glaring ones)
Now try answering these questions:
1) In mumbai municipal school, they teach the Three Musketeers, but not about Ghandhiji. Yes or No?
2) A blind beggar kid can identify a US Dollar by just feeling it with his hands and in all probabilities he can know about Benjamin Franklin. Yes or No?
3) With the way the Indian media works ( to the extent of showing terrorist activities LIVE), it is absolutely possible that a contestant in a famous TV show (who had just won 10 million), can just like that be thrown into police custody (immediately after the show is over, by the host himself) and tortured the whole night (with electric shocks) without anyone noticing it. Yes or No?
4) A guy who had just won 20 million, can coolly walk away from the media and sit alone in the railway station waiting for his lover. Yes or No?
5) A thug bought up in slums, who had never been to school (except until is mother’s death when he was a kid) who happens to hold a gun, could have read in wikipedia that it was Colt who invented it. And it is possible that when he is pointing the gun at his brother to shoot him, he finds that situation the most apt for letting his brother know his General knowledge by claiming “My Colt will shoot you..”. Yes or No?
6) “Real” Indians are such horrible human beings that they take pleasure in whipping slum kids with their boots, happily pour acid in kids eyes, but “Real” Americans are the kindest souls who give a 100 $ to show what “Real” America is (As shown in the movie).. Yes or No?
I can go on and on..
I am not saying it is a bad movie. I can watch this movie 10 times in 10 days for the EXCELLENT performance of the kids, good cinematography and nice BGM. But to call this a master piece or the greatest movie released this century is way tooooo much..At the end it is JUST ANOTHER BOLLYWOOD MASALA MOVIE with HOLLYWOOD TREATMENT!!!!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Good points.
Yes, there are some chinks here as there are in every movie. But you can’t deny that tens of millions of kids get a raw deal in India.
As we’ve said on a few occasions, when you go to a movie you forge a pact with the director – You suspend disbelief and in exchange the director promises to entertain you. Most of the time, in Indian movies the director never delivers on the promise.
With Slumdog Millionaire, director Danny Boyle takes a novel story, gives it a gripping screenplay, solid photography, decent acting (by the kids) and voila the result is the best movie to come out of India this century.
Give us examples of a few Indian movies (made since 2001) that are as good as Slumdog Millionaire?
“…as fine a movie as Slumdog Millionaire can’t be from a Bollywood director ”
Why you compare with Indian movies with English movies…pl understand they are mean for different audience. In india we make films for the Indians, it has the flavour of indians in it…it might be too spicy for others but we dont bother about Bhaskar nor Oscar!!!
Indian movies are made for indians, we an attempt to make it international they try to take the inspiration from their collegues in the industry due to their liking.
Cant you understand this basic and always find fault with Indian movies with foreiger’s attitude.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write above: we an attempt to make it international they try to take the inspiration from their collegues in the industry due to their liking.
Stick to Tamil blogs in future. Writing a simple sentence in English is beyond your feeble intelligence.
2. You write: In india we make films for the Indians, it has the flavour of indians in it…it might be too spicy for others but we dont bother about Bhaskar nor Oscar!!!
What rubbish. Look at the attention paid to Rahman after he won the Golden Globe awards.
Most Tamil movies are unwatchable garbage worthy of Asscars.
Overrated. so, it could win an oscar.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We are now rooting for Gran Torino.
It must have released in your place by now.
“Give us examples of a few Indian movies (made since 2001) that are as good as Slumdog Millionaire?”
I don’t know much about movies in other languages, (my knowledge on Hindi movies is limited to not more than 10 movies or so). Here is a list (top 5) of my favorite tamil movies (after 2000), which I think, are as good. I am sure there will be movies in other languages as well.
1) Pithamagan
2) Veyyil
3) Paruthi Veeran
4) Katrathu Tamizh (Tamil MA)
5) Kannathil Muthamitaal
Unfortunately, you being in US can get to see only crap masala movies. (I can never watch a vijay or ajith or rajni masala movie even if I am paid 20 million)
But, the entire tamil movie industry is not CRAP or SHIT as most of your posts suggest.
You must watch movies from directors like:
1) Bala
2) Ameer
3) Myskin
4) Radha Mohan etc
(Let us leave out ManiRatnam, BaluMahendra and people of that caliber)
(and a few who are only 1 or 2 films old)
In 2008, the best movies are
1) Subramaniyapuram
2) Anjaathey
3) Poo
All the above three are commercial successes as well.
I get really frustrated when you watch a few movies that releases in US and call the entire movie industry as CRAP or SHIT. If you do not feel offended, to get an idea of how progressive tamil movies are now, have a look at this
http://passionforcinema.com/my-tamil-cinema-journey-continues…/
There are so many links but most of them are from tamilians..but this link above and few more in the site are written by non-tamils.
(The above link is a site where famous persona like Anurag Kashyap are frequent bloggers. You can see his comments and debate on Slumdog Millionaire review.)
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We have seen Veyyil & Kannathil Mutthamittal in your list on DVD. We’ll try to see the other movies in your list.
But exceptions don’t make the rule.
ATM, Kuruvi, Sathyam, Bheema, Aegan, Indralogathil & now Villu…each one is worse than the other.
All of the above movies fail at the very basic level – total absence of story & acting.
Couldn’t read the SD review on your passion site (their site is loading too slowly here….will try later).
“ATM, Kuruvi, Sathyam, Bheema, Aegan, Indralogathil & now Villu…each one is worse than the other.”
Agreed!!
Most of the tamil movies (not all) in the industry are like this. All those stupid movie makers make an excuse like “I take movies for illiterates, villagers and people from slums etc etc to come and forget their pain and enjoy”…
Yes, we cannot expect those people to watch and appreciate movies like “Eternal sunshine of the beautiful mind”, but atleast they can take masala movies with some common sense(like Poladhavan released this year), which is painfully missing. These directors just use this as an excuse to cover their mental disability.
“But exceptions don’t make the rule.”
All those movies which you had mentioned above have been utter flops in TN. (I have not seen even one among those, except that I listen to a few songs from Bheema).
But now it is a good sign that people’s mentality has changed (at least in the last couple of years)..For instance, the two biggest hits of 2007 were Paruthiveeran and Mozhi (both very very nice movies) and the biggest hits of 2008 were Subramanyapuram and Anjathey (again amazingly good movies).
“All of the above movies fail at the very basic level – total absence of story & acting.”.
Absolutely true. Thank God, I don’t write film reviews to experience the horror of watching those tortures.. 🙂
SearchIndia.com Responds:
In your list, we’ve seen Mozhi too & liked it (despite Jyothika).
Why are the other Kollywood directors not releasing their movies in the U.S. … when trash like Indralogathil can make it here….why not Paruthiveeran et al.
“Couldn’t read the SD review”
Here is the direct link:
http://passionforcinema.com/slumdog-millionaire-review/
You can find Anurag Kashyap’s comments on the movie (and his debate with a few other guys) from Comment Number 43 onwards..
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Thanks.
We agree with Anurag Kashyap, particularly when he says:
“each one is worse than the other”.. if A is worse than B, then how can B be worse than A
I queried for that phrase in quotes and ended up with 6 pages of results on google.. I added safire to the query, but that didn’t yield any William Safire article regarding this..
SearchIndia.com Responds:
6,630 results.
Caved in and watched a DVD screener.. quality was much higher than a cam-print. But definitely should have been watched in a theater.. but oh well, I am planning to skip theater now and will wait for blu-ray to re-watch.. It was like watching very good Manirathinam movie.. I am not a big Mani fan.
I thought the real heroes were the screenplay and ARR’s music.. Dannyboy seems to have a channelled a lot of good Manirathinam/RGV mojo into this movie..
Freida’s acting was horrible – worse than Nayantara, I’d say.. Worst of all the adult versions.
Some commenter here said that ARR’s music was not at all a factor.. I thought it is a MAJOR factor in subliminally mesmerizing the American critics.
I’d also say – SDM is to India what Crouching Tiger was to China.. we are too much used to the Bombay sceneries and ARR’s music.. but for the American critics, it is a first.. after all, they even seem to love Chandni Chowk.. I think if some of the old Mani/RGV movies are recycled here, they’d lap it up.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Slumdog’s appeal to us is in the offbeat story, solid screenplay, compelling photography of the gritty part of India few us know or dare to know, and to a lesser extent the music.
For the goras, the music have been more important than it was to us.
We’ve seen quite a few Mani Ratnam movies (Guru, Yuva, Kannathil Muthamittal, Bombay, Roja, Nayagan).
Mani Ratnam is a podi paya (kid) compared to Danny Boyle. None of the Mani films we’ve seen are even one-tenth as visually compelling as Slumdog Millionaire.
2. You write: SDM is to India what Crouching Tiger was to China..
Crouching Tiger was made by a Chinese guy (OK, Taiwanese chap if you insist).
Slumdog Millionaire was made by a complete outsider, an Englishman.
We think Crouching Tiger was better than Slumdog.
Yeah, forgot to mention the fantastic photography..
story was novel, but not great
The acting/directing weren’t that great.. Danny probably exhausted himself in making the kids perform well and let the adults (Even Irrfan Khan and Kallu mama.. and Anil Kapoor) act as if there were in a bollywood spoof.. I don’t think he was expecting this much hoopla for this movie.. lucky bastard.. may even end up with an Oscar.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
To attribute luck to the success of this well executed movie is plain ridiculous.
Luck = Thirutu Nai not Danny Boyle.
May be this movie would be a treat for you just because you are watching a lot of mass movies a.k.a crappy movies from india., but definitely not for me, because i have the privilege to see both parallel cinema and mass movies.
coming back to this movie, at most times i felt that the flashbacks of lead actor were written based on the questions asked bcos not all beggar boys happen to find out a dollar note just by touching and smelling it, but yes, writing in such ways also difficult, its just that i would ve preferred more non linearity in the screenplay for eg. for one question, a flashback with childs and for the next question a flashback with adults., that would ve really tested the screenwriter.
Hence I was disappointed a little bit in this. And music, a.r.rahman could have done better, photography is world class and so is the dialogues.
Regarding direction, danny boyle is just the same as he was in 28 days later, ordinary. If this movies gets a golden globe, a lot from india can get also. However this film got indian film industry, a global recognition and we applaud this film for that.
i was disappointed with the ‘finest movie from india this century’…..probably expected too much…..agree with a lot of people above…the standard of the movie falls as it progresses….add another point to the list of anomalies…no celebrity would give you an autograph if you are covered in shit….the lead actors speaking in english added to the bizarreness of the film…..anil kapoor was over-acting (he seems to be pretty excited about the film winning the globes)…..all in all a feel good movie (which makes you feel good for a change)….you guys probably were enthralled to see the trains and slums….regular for us so didn’t have the same effect….not an oscar worthy masterpiece though….try to watch ‘aamir’ to see the real dark underbelly of mumbai….i think its as good as SD….
BTW it would have been nice if you had mentioned that the script is based on the novel ‘Q&A’ by Vikas Swarup,India’s deputy high commissioner to south africa…..and what about shaurya?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Thanks for the suggestion…Added the bit about Vikas Swarup in the second paragraph of the Slumdog Millionaire review.
2. Will try to watch Aamir
3. Have not seen Shaurya but seen A Few Good Men a couple of times. Scared of that non-actress Minissha Lambha.
Rahul Bose is a decent actor.
4. BTW, SD is not released in India yet…did you make a quick trip to the U.S. or UK to watch Slumdog Millionaire 😉
have you seen mani ratnam’s ‘dil se’? SRK was good in the film….
SearchIndia.com Responds:
No…It is on our list.
But some SI readers and movie-buffs like Guruprasad feel:
I am not attributing luck to the success.. it was an entertaining movie. But the direction was not simply Oscar-worthy.. he will be a lucky bastard if he gets an Oscar..
to add more bitchin’ points to this post
http://indiablogs.searchindia.com/2008/12/13/slumdog-millionaire-a-non-bollywood-indian-masterpiece/#comment-6111
1) No gameshow host (but I only have the American gameshow hosts as samples) behaves like an arrogant prick on-screen .. mocking a poor chaiwallah — although he may be vile behind the scenes.
2) The Hinglish spoken by the most unlikeliest (to speak English) persons can probably be pardoned because it an English movie.. but it sticks out awkwardly for people like me who know that those people don’t speak Hinglish.
maybe bigB thought that there (Anil & Danny) were making fun of him from his Crorepathi days.. Did he behave like an idiot when he was at the helm? That’s why he is bitching now?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Can’t say because never watched any of KBC shows.
the movie is already here…..on our LAN network….its available on the streets of kolkata as well….
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You won’t find that happening so easily here with new English movies here (even the universities are clamping down because of the RIAA lawsuits & cease-and-desist threats).
But some desis here say they have seen DVD versions.
Just finished watching this true masterpiece as a torrent download (couldnt wait for it to make it to theaters – but will watch again in theater when it reaches)….
Guys, truly this is the BEST indian movie I have ever watched… A TRUE master piece. Let it be music, acting, cinematography, screenplay, dialogues… ah its just exceptional… A foriegner has made this and made the entire so called indian film industry feel as kids in movie making.
I thought it would be a anti-climax when I watch the movie after hearing so much in the reviews and in the media… but when I watched the first few scenes I realized its very very qualitative.
There is entertainment, there is thrill, there is love, there is betrayal, there is jealousy, there is action, there is sentiment, and all of them are blended in a great screenplay and music….
The only cast I didnt like was Anil, he was spoiling the movie a bit… especially while insulting the ‘chaywala’ the beginning of the game… Also it was unrealistic to slam a participant because he is poor.
Other than that… this is a great movie…
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Its few shortcomings notwithstanding, SD is indeed a fine movie. Paisa Vasool, as they say in India.
It’s the Bollywood movie that our Bollywood movie-makers just can’t make. Our film-makers (with a few exceptions) have miles and miles to go.
And visually very compelling too unlike most Indian films.
And to those who complain about SD’s harsh portrayal of India, we say just because you close your eyes the harsh reality doesn’t disappear.
It just occurred to me after reading some of the newer comments that all the Bachchans and Khans of Bollywood are making snide comments because India’s greatest international movie success (so far in terms of GG and possibly Oscars) involved none of them. It must be smashing their egos to smithereens, the likes of SRK, Amitabh, Aamir, et al, to know that they are not on the receiving end of any of this acclaim. Maybe not so much for Aamir as he would have gotten some recognition from Lagaan, but definitely the others. If I were SRK and saw a “talent” like Anil Kapoor involved in all the success of a movie like this, especially when SRK was the “star” host of KBC for a decent amount of time, my head might explode.
On a slightly separate note, CC2C was obviously now delayed from releasing on Diwali until now because higher ups inside Warner Brothers most likely anticipated that Slumdog Millionaire could be very influential to Western audiences and open their eyes to more “Indian” movies. Warner Brothers probably wanted to wait specifically until after awards season had begun and hoped to have CC2C piggyback on the potential success of Slumdog Millionaire as they had nothing to lose by waiting vs. releasing it earlier. It’ll be interesting to see the opening weekend figures.
At least I went to see CC2C in the afternoon when it was 15 degrees and not at night when it was below zero. Just curious if you suffered more from waiting in line outside in subzero temperatures, or did you suffer more from sitting inside watching? 😉
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: It just occurred to me after reading some of the newer comments that all the Bachchans and Khans of Bollywood are making snide comments because India’s greatest international movie success (so far in terms of GG and possibly Oscars) involved none of them. It must be smashing their egos to smithereens,
There is another reason too. In the Indian movie industry, the heroes call the shots. Directors don’t amount to a hill of beans (as Humphrey Bogart’s character Rick says in Casablanca)…Recently, there were reports of an actor even slapping a director on the sets.
So strong directors like Danny Boyle threaten all these pygmy Bollywood actors who don’t want to see the status quo change.
2. Saw CC2C in a crappy theatre. Since it was too cold, they let us wait inside.
So, we suffered more inside the hall screening the movie. Absolute garbage, if we hadn’t watched it we wouldn’t believe Bollywood would fall so low.
Watched Taxi Driver tonight.. incredibly, Scorsese was not even nominated for Best Direction in both Oscars & GG for that movie. Easily one of the most brilliant movies I have ever seen. Boyle (aged 52 when he made SDM) is a podi payyan when compared with Scorsese (aged just 33 when he made Taxi Driver).
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Watched it a few years back.
Enjoyed it a lot.
Like Spielberg, Scorsese was also ignored by the Hollywood establishment for a long time (most likely because of jealousy).
Seen quite a few Scorsese films – Gangs of New York, Departed, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (a million years back).
Plan to watch Grocer’s Son in Netflix Instant Play after brunch (it’s 11:08 ET now).
“Mani Ratnam is a podi paya (kid) compared to Danny Boyle. None of the Mani films we’ve seen are even one-tenth as visually compelling as Slumdog Millionaire.”
Maybe in your opinion.
There is a movie called “Mouna Ragam” which was released way back in 1986. I have watched the movie a countless time already and watched it yesterday too and enjoyed it, just like watching it for the first time.
I don’t think I will be able to enjoy Slumdog Millionaire if I watch it after a couple of years (leave out 23 years)..
I would consider the screen play of that movie by Mani Ratnam (considering the fact that it is a family drama and not a pacy movie like SM), music by Illayaraja and cinematography by PC Sriram to be much much better than SM, considering the fact that the movie was made in 1986. If you have not watched that movie yet, add it to your must watch list.
And then there is a movie called “Thalapathi”. The first time I watched the movie I thought the movie was about Friendship. The second time I watched it, I had to change my opinion to think it was about Motherhood. The third time, well, I thought it was a about Love….and every time I have watched the movie ever since, I get a new feeling about it. Now, before you start commenting about my IQ (with regard to understanding a movie), I would recommend you to watch the movie and judge for yourself. ( Ilayaraja’s BGM in this movie 10000000000000 times better than AR.Rehman’s in SM).
After you had watched these two movies, I welcome you for a MR vs DB debate .. 🙂
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We never shy away from a challenge but Netflix doesn’t have both movies – Mouna Ragam and Thalapathi. So that debate will have to wait till we can get hold of the DVDs.
We have heard/seen the Mouna Ragam songs like Mandram Vantha countless times. Like them.
Just watched the Rajini-Sonu Walia dance/song Rakkamma kaiya thattu – very nice.
any particular reason for choosing Grocer’s Son? doesn’t seem to have done too well with the imdb users – just 6.9/10
I also think Mouna Ragam was Mani’s best work.. and i’d also watch it over SDM.. Revathi looked very cute.. she is almost 10 years older than me.. but she used to be my dreamgirl. Karthik’s cameo in the movie was outstanding.. probably the best cameo in a Tamil movie ever..
but it may not go well with the world audience, who wouldn’t understand the “arranged marriage” dynamics.
Didn’t think too highly of Thalapathi.. Probably because i don’t like instrusive songs (although i love the Thalapathi songs) in a serious movie.. made the movie too lengthy. In Mouna Ragam the fabulous songs seemed to blend well with the movie..
SDM is paisa vasool, as you said.. quite a chunk of the movie is eminently forgettable.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write above: any particular reason for choosing Grocer’s Son?
When the movie first released in NYC a few months back, we remember reading some good reviews. We badly wanted to see it…but each time we went to Manhattan we couldn’t make it. So it’s been gnawing at us since. Plus, it’s still freezing outside (Minus 2 degree centigrade).
Here’s an excerpt from the NYT review of The Grocer’s Son:
2. she is almost 10 years older than me.. but she used to be my dreamgirl.
If men had any brains, they’d all marry older women. Seriously.
3. BTW, you figured in our dream again…It was a temple with 1000 pillars..they were offering free food like they do at many temples in India. So the temple must be India. You were sitting next to us for the free sapad but can’t remember your face. But when we came to the parking lot outside, it was the U.S., we could see the highway and the cars zipping by.
Ominous signs like Horatio fears in Hamlet (Act 1 Scene 1):
One of our favorite passages from Hamlet.
OMG, LOL.. thank you brother/sister.. whoever you are ..
BTW, what were two atheists doing in a temple (ah.. free sapad.. that must be it).
did they also give out free DVDs?
I am in a bit of hurry.. will come back later and try to assimilate the Hamlet passage.
By the way, I got possessed by cheap fairy again(actually she never left) and closed my netflix account.. I am getting 3 free months of HBO & Starz — 8 of them HD channels.. (because I juggled with my dish network account), so I wouldn’t have time to waste on netflix. Will resume after this free trial is over.
did you see this slumdog yet-to-be-millionaire..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgJkjfG4hFU
and same kid after 3 years
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-URtZfIgKAU
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Nice. Excerpt from your second video link:
The sad face of India.
Harry,
“thank you brother/sister.. whoever you are ..”
haha..definitely a “Brother”.
I don’t think a “Sister” would use words like “p***u” and “k****i” in reviews.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
😉
Karthik, you never know.. SI’s favorite pastime(only today did I know the correct spelling of this word – thank you Google Chrome) is to confuse the readers.
I think SI is a couple.
Would a straight man read M&Bs and observe Katrina’s neatly-shaven underarms.. but if SI is gay why would he drool over big boobs.
Only other possible explanation is that SI is a lesbian who grew up Chennai.. and hence the knowledge of foul language.. that makes things more interesting.
Furthermore, I notice some of SI’s own posts getting censored..
Classic example is in the Matrubhoomi review, where in one of the SI retorts: The line
had more spice in it initially.. Unfortunately someone editted it out.. depriving us of a bigger fight..
SearchIndia.com:
1. Hey, it’s so unfair that you left out the transgendered & bisexual. 🙁 (After all, you’ve covered straight, gay, lesbian, couple, single…)
2. You write above: Furthermore, I notice some of SI’s own posts getting censored.
We too are just another coolie answerable to the owners of SI.
Looks like http://metacritics.com/film/titles/mybloodyv is a must watch..
naked chicks in 3-D!
Did you watch Button last night?
Looks like Gran Torino is bulldozing the box office.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
No, did not watch Button.
Watched The Grocer’s Son.
Gran Torino is the best Clint Eastwood film we’ve seen.
Nice ending too.
Dudes, leave the discussion about s.i’s sexuality, that’s not going to make them watch an indian movie in an ordinary indian’s viewpoint. whatever we do, they still are going to thrash the movies which we already know that they are crappy movies.
These guys are not trying to get good indian movies and then use lame excuses such as “netflix doesnt have it” or “a very few movies are making it to the west”. They are totally unaware of another face of indian cinema,which may not be commercial successes, but those are not taken keeping money in mind.
Searchindia is just like us, who hate the growing rate of formula movies, but the difference is, they think only formula movies are coming from india.
Pity that they dont have our privileges.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: These guys are not trying to get good indian movies and then use lame excuses such as “net flix doesnt have it” or “a very few movies are making it to the west”.
Since when did Honesty become a lame excuse.
Harry, haha..I was ROFL reading your comments..
Sanewar,
I have also felt the same about SI.
“Searchindia is just like us, who hate the growing rate of formula movies, but the difference is, they think only formula movies are coming from india”
I am sure SI knows fully well about the existence of good indian movies, but they intentionally ignore them. Thats their marketing strategy.
Think about this. You go to google and type in something like “ChandniChowk to China Review”. You may get a hundred results, but once you see something like “CCTC – Piece of Shit” , “CCTC – Revoltingly Bad”, “CCTC – Nonstop nonsense” etc, it is more probable that you would be tempted to read that review.
It is a ploy to attract more hits to the site. No one is going to read a review that shows in google results as “A wednesday – Very nice movie” or some thing like that.
So why waste time in reviewing those movies?.
But the sad fact is, many of Bollywood and Kollywood directors support SI’s cause by bringing in totally crap movies one after the other.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: I am sure SI knows fully well about the existence of good indian movies, but they intentionally ignore them. Thats their marketing strategy.
The lie of the decade.
Karthik, I wasn’t poking fun at ’em.. just thinking out loud..
SI, I would never call you a Tranny.. Lesbians are hot, Gay guys are good looking.. single and married straight people are boring.. but Trannies.. they are Abhishek Bachchans.
3 nominations for ARR., which is very gratifying.. but two of his songs are pitted against each other in the best score category. Interesting.
On the whole, 10 oscar nominations seems an awful lot for this movie. I thought 4 to 5 were fine.. ten seems a little overboard, or is it because of the lack of good movies in hollywood this time around that Slumdog went through to a whopping 10?
Nominations don’t ensure an Oscar, but nevertheless ten for this movie was totally unexpected.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: On the whole, 10 oscar nominations seems an awful lot for this movie. …. ten seems a little overboard,
Seems strange considering that as fine a movie as Gran Torino failed to win even a single nomination.
From the disappointing opening in India, seems like it will be a flop there. Indian audiences, can’t even appreciate a good movie.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. On what basis do you say that?
2. Many Indians have already seen the movie because it’s been widely available on DVD (illegally, of course) for several weeks.
So, even if the reception is not strong (and we don’t know that until you provide credible sources), you still can’t say Slumdog Millionaire will be a flop because of the widespready piracy of this movies. It was available (even before official release) on IIT Kharagpur Local Area Networks for easy download. We wouldn’t be surprised if the same was happening elsewhere too.
3. Bottomline, if indeed Slumdog Millionaire fails to make good money, it’ll be more because of the piracy and not because as you say Indian audiences, can’t even appreciate a good movie.
4. In the case of Slumdog Millionaire in India, we have to distinguish between flop in terms of making money and flop in terms of poor audience reception. While the former is a sure possibility, the latter is most certainly an impossibility.
yo Aditya.. why, why.. is IITKGP so morally corrupt??
English version opened with mixed response in Bombay and banglore with 60 to 75 percent opening whereas the Hindi version in rest of India got 20 to 25 percent opening.
Lots of theatres have been vandalized (don’t know why) and are demanding the movie to be banned.
Piracy is just as effective as to other Hollywood and bollywood movies which still ended up doing well at the box office.
Let’s wait and see what tomorrow looks like as that will give a clear picture.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You must provide sources with links for your numbers and claims that lots of theatres have been vandalized. Otherwise, no one will take your claims seriously.
2. You write above: Piracy is just as effective as to other Hollywood and bollywood movies which still ended up doing well at the box office
Remember, Slumdog Millionaire was available on pirated DVD for several weeks before the movie released. That doesn’t happen with Bollywood movies (pirated DVDs are available usually after the movie debuts).
It was on zee news and bbc channel. Shiv sena and some stupid Hindu party vandalized some theatres and want the movie to be banned as the movie has a scene disrespecting lord ram. Tomorrow the whole clear picture will come out. For now check out the site boxofficeindia.com for very brief news on slumdog’s opening and vandalism.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
For those who missed our response earlier, we suggest you read this story on Piracy of Slumdog Millionaire in India.
Watched SM ystdy nite.
Loved it.
Someone here commented that the story has such a solid screenplay that it probably could have done without Rahman’s background. I completely disagree. I must say, the background score plays a major part in making the movie so riveting. I was afraid that he got the award due to overhype, as some commented, but after watching the movie I’m damn happy to say that he deserves the Golden Globe, and more.
Hoping for an Oscar, fingers crossed.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. What was the response in the movie hall? Full house?
2. BTW, guess what we are reading?
Yes, The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller. 🙂
Picked it up from our local library yesterday.
Short book..just 171 pages..so should finish it soon.
3. Added Sashenka to our Books section.
Regarding the pirated DVD.. the copy that is circulating is not really a cam-print.. it is a DVD screener (the same one that I watched) sent out to the awards voters, as you know.. but they probably don’t care as they have made plenty of money, much more than would have expected when they went for this gamble (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slumdog_Millionaire#Release)
Asha, I also had a similar opinion about ARR’s music
http://indiablogs.searchindia.com/2008/12/13/slumdog-millionaire-a-non-bollywood-indian-masterpiece/#comment-6254
Regarding your usage of “yesterday night”.. I used to use “yesterday night” for a long time.. but have changed it to “last night” now
http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS299US303&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=last+night+yesterday+night
Thought that you may find that interesting.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
According to ET, it was even screened on Indian cable channels.
Why are we calling this movie an Indian masterpiece? Its a British movie. Its like saying braveheart is a non Hollywood Scottish movie. Funny thing is that if you watch Indian news channel, you can hear the reporters saying, oh slumdog has been nominated for oscars and let’s hope that India brings oscar home. If you see CNN or BBC or msnbc or even jay leno show, you will hear them say, oh its a British movie shot in Indian slums……..The director is British, screenplay is British, author is British, producer is British, 98 percent of staff was British and the movie was set to shot in India to have Indian actors to make it more believable with Indian music. So what makes Indians think that its their achievement? Sorry no offense to anybody.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: Why are we calling this movie an Indian masterpiece?
We’ve called it a Non-Bollywood Indian Masterpiece (our headline).
Here are the first three paragraphs of our post, which make it clear we don’t consider it an Indian movie except for the setting and the author:
It’s clear from the above that we don’t consider it an Indian movie, except in terms of where the movie is set, i.e. Indian slums.
As you imply above in your comment, Slumdog Millionaire is not really an Indian achievement.
It’s just that Indian movies are so deservedly starved of awards and recognition on the global stage that many of us (including us) occasionally in desperation try to cling to any recognition even if we don’t really deserve it or even if it does not belong to us (as in the case of Slumdog Millionaire).
sorry correction the author is Indian…. Vikas something….
Yes, AR Rahman should feel shame working on this movie.. I totally agree with this article…
http://arindamchaudhuri.blogspot.com/2009/01/dont-see-slumdog-millionaire-it-sucks.html
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We’ve read the article in your above link.
We don’t agree with it. Seems like a malicious hit job.
Whoever celebrating this movie should feel that they have shit on their face. Its like they are celebrating their dirty happend at their home.
WHat’s wrong with what has been shown in the movie about slums? It’s the truth.
Look at all the bollywood movies that have slums as part of their movie, Munnabhai MBBS, Satya, Aamir, Agneepath, Amar Akbar Anthony and so on and most of them either have been huge hits or have been critically acclaimed.
Amitabh Bachchan is just jealous for criticizing the movie as he wasn’t approached for the role which was given to Anil Kapoor. That’s the bottom line. Man is getting out of his mind with age.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Or maybe, Amitabh Bachchan is just piggybacking on the Slumdog publicity train.
BTW, Shahrukh Khan was approached for the quizshow host’s role but said No.
Wonder how many times SRK kicked himself for what turned out to be a mistake in retrospect.
Anyone who says SM is an excellent movie probably haven’t watched “Cidade de Deus” (City of God) yet. I saw that movie an year back, and it will definitely be in my all time top 3, even when I am 90 years old!. When I was watching SM, I couldn’t help the feeling that most of the scenes were inspired from that movie.(Comparing the screenplay of SM with that of Cidade de Deus, is like comparing Villu with God Father.)
SI, BTW watched Gran Torino yesterday. I thought you had gone overboard with praise for a normal movie,second time in a row, after SM. Not bad though..but definitely not the “best” Eastwood movie as you said).
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Will try to watch Cidade de Deus this weekend.
We disagree on Gran Torino…we think it represents class, particularly Clint Eastwood’s acting & the sparkling dialogs.
I am slowly beginning to support AB’s cause. Looks like in the UK, they are advertising SM with this tag line “THE FEEL-GOOD FILM OF THE DECADE”.
http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/01/16/lolwtf-slumdog-millionaires-uk-bus-advertising-completely-desecrates-the-film/
Also, look at this:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5597745.ece
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Re. Your first link – A bad/silly/stupid tag line does not reduce the entertainment quotient of Slumdog Millionaire one bit.
2. Your second link – The life of biped slumdogs in India is infinitely worse than that of many a quadruped dog. Some activists will protest anything…protest is an end in itself.
3. You write above: I am slowly beginning to support AB’s cause
AB’s cause got him some publicity. Otherwise, it made no difference. From what we can gather, Indians in India had as enthusiastic a response to this fine movie as the Americans. Even the Indian pirates love it.
@ karthik15981,
just having the same backdrop (i.e Slums) cannot make cidade de deus and slumdog millionaire similar. If thats the case most of the movies will be similar. Both the movies are totally different in story, narration, music and direction.Yes, the photography is almost similar, but that cannot takeaway the credit that belongs to slumdog millionaire. I think citade de deus is a better movie than slumdog millionaire, but i dont think slumdog is copy of god’s city.
and for all those who are shouting at slumdog millionaire that it shows poor india, can anyone say that u havent seen children begging in signals, slums which dont have toilets,rogues who make orphan children as beggars, prostitutes, thieves etc.., please anybody there?
Its just that , if all these things happen before your eyes , u can tolerate that, but if they are shown in a big screen, ur patriotism comes out of nowhere and blasts comments about the movie.
See a movie as a movie, give creators some freedom, afterall they are work of fiction.
most westerners are praising this movie bcos it touches their heart and they feel for the characters, they are not thanking danny boyle for showing what they think as real india.
Sanewar,
Sorry if my words were misleading, but I never meant SM is a copy of Cidade de deus. The common thing I was trying to emphasize was, as you said, the same backdrop.
The first feeling I got after watching movies like “Cidade de Deus” and “Amores Perros” was “Thank God..How lucky I am to be living in a country like India..”. (I have never been to Brazil or Mexico). I am sure, someone who had never been to India would have got the same feeling when he/she had watched SM.
Yes. There are many in India begging in signals, slums etc as you said, but that does not warrant anybody to over-exaggerate their plight (like jumping into a pile of shit, pouring acid into their eyes etc) and tarnish the image of our country. Now, name one “Indian” character in the movie who is shown as normal, or sane. (Even the host of the show is shown as a prick, who makes fun of a slum “dog” and the whole Indian audience who are watching the show, are shown laughing and enjoying when the host mocks a poor chaiwallah.. The super star of Indian cinema is shown to coolly sign an autograph from a kid who is drenched in shit etc etc.). Is this how we Indians behave???? But that is exactly what this movie portrays.
Having said these, I am not saying SM is a bad movie. It is a good movie, but, it does to India what Cidade de Deus did to Brazil and Amorres Perros did to Mexico.
Finally, Britishers should be the last to take movies to show our plight, as they are the ones who looted us.
karthik,
where do u belong, have u not heard of fans who pierce their tongue, cut goats or even their own body parts, spending their monthly wages for a first show ticket,etc.,well compared to these reality what was shown in the screen is very believable and must have happened somewhere many times.
well, yes , may be there was over exaggeration in case pouring acid in the eyes, but that does not change the fact that some rogues are turning orphan children into beggars and prostitutes here in india in each and every city.
90% of human population ( not just indians ) will laugh when somebody mocks other person.
I dont know what cidade de deus did to brazil and amores perros did to mexico , could u explain?
But remember all these movies have a general appeal and they can be taken with any country as its backdrop.
BTW, have SI watched amores perros, if they do , then we will get an ugly thrashing on YUVA.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We’ve been going slow on movies for a few days…resuming our binge today. Will watch Amores Perros as well.
i second Karthik151981. the character of Salim is so inspired by the Rocket (hope i remember the name right) from Cidade de Deus. Another striking resemblance that does not pass off for a coincidence is the cricket scene. as such, everything abt salim is there in Cidade de Deus i can say. and this movie is f*** all. nothing worth celebration. so relax.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: this movie is f*** all. nothing worth celebration
What planet do you come from? How many light years away…what’s the weather like there?
We’ll watch Cidade de Deus soon.
Praneix, Thanks Dude 🙂
SI, Praneix comes from a planet where people understand the difference between a good movie like Cidade De Deus and a over hyped sh** like SM.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
That must be a planet where they use a different dictionary (with a different meaning for overhyped sh**).
Sanewar,
“90% of human population ( not just indians ) will laugh when somebody mocks other person.”
—Well, laughing when one someone is mocked is one thing, but openly laughing at one’s poverty, illiteracy and the work he/she does for survival, is another thing.
“I dont know what cidade de deus did to brazil and amores perros did to mexico , could u explain?”
—The point I was trying to make is in the first paragraph of my post you were responding to.
“But remember all these movies have a general appeal and they can be taken with any country as its backdrop.”
—This is were we completely differ. In my opinion all the three movies we were discussing can never be taken in any other country.
Cidade De Deus – Because the movie is inspired from true incidents that actually took place in Rio. The movie was shot in the same localities (amidst huge security risks). You can read the trivia of that movie in IMDB here,
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317248/trivia
So, there can never ever be a country other than brazil or a place other than “cidade de deus” itself that could have been used as back-drop for this movie.
Amores Perros – Well, this is one movie where the viewer is left with the task of interpreting the director’s thoughts. (Two movies which I could never succeed in this are Rashomon [Akira Kurosawa] and Birds [Hitchcock]).
The way I understood the movie is this :
The director tries to convey each character through his pet ( a dog ).
1) A rich dog leaves a beautiful house and gets stuck in a hole ( Its owner, a rich man leaves a beautiful family and gets stuck with a model).
2) A fighter dog which wins in all fights initially, gets cheated and is deceived of a victory,in the last but the most important fight. (Its owner, who thinks he had won his brother’s wife, gets cheated by her in the end).
3) A mad dog whose only intention is to kill any other dog in a senseless way. (Its new found owner realizes he has the same character).
With a story like this, the movie could not have been taken in any country other than mexico, where dog fights are in practice.
SM – Well the reason is very very obvious. No creatures in this world other than INDIANS would appreciate a movie that insults their country. Imagine a hollywood movie by an indian director that has a scene like this:
“A white kid gets insulted by a white guy. The kid who is with an Indian tourist, shouts “This is real America”..Immediately the Indian says “Son, I will show you, what real India is”..and gives him a 100 Rupee note. Tell me honestly. Will the western audience appreciate that the same way they appreciated SM.. ?????
Of course,Slumdog is rich in its story-telling,but if there is one thing that is better than the slumdog in portraying real India,its the man booker award winning novel,’the white Tiger’-written by the Mangalorean ‘Aravind Adiga’. I hope searchindia.com will review the book ‘the White Tiger’ too…
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We read the Aravind Adiga book long back. We did not think highly of it. Most definitely not worth $24.
If you have not purchased it, don’t waste your money. If you have not read it, don’t waste your time.
Even before Aravind Adiga won the Booker Prize, we wrote in September 2008:
BTW, Arvind Adiga has a short story in the January 26, 2009 issue of New Yorker – The Elephant. Again, nothing extraordinary.
hahahaha.. see this:
“Let’s say I made a movie about the US where an African-American boy born in the hood, has his mother sell him to a pedophile pop icon, after which he gets molested by a priest from his church, following which he gets tied up to the back of a truck and dragged on the road by KKK clansmen. Then he is arrested and sodomized by a policeman with a rod, after which he is attacked by a gang of illegal immigrants, and then uses these life experiences to win “Beauty and Geekâ€.
Even though each of these incidents have actually happened in the United States of America, I would be accused of spinning a fantastic yarn that has no grounding in reality, that has no connection to the “American experience†and my motivations would be questioned, no matter how cinematically spectacular I made my movie. At the very least, I wouldn’t be on 94% on Tomatometer and a strong Oscar favorite.”
IMHO, this is the best and the most apt review of this movie…
Source:
http://greatbong.net/2008/12/29/slumdog-millionaire-the-review/
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Kadavule, kapathu (God, help us).
Some people will not be pleased even if God were to appear before their eyes (except maybe, if Yama were to come).
2. Never have truer words been said (Excerpt from review in your above link):
Sorry this message is off-topic. You say,”We read the Aravind Adiga book long back. We did not think highly of it”.
Up to the half- the hit and run case involving Pinky madam -I was glued to the book and then it was boring somewhat. Overall I thought it was readable since it had very nice quotes. Maybe I should read more and more books to prove myself that ‘The White Tiger’ is not such a good book.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
In our case, the feeling was very bad since we spent around $24 on the book. We should have asked our library to get it (one of the good things here is that you can recommend books to your library & they usually get it. You’ll find this hard to believe but our local library in the U.S. gets Stardust, India Today, Frontline…most likely on the recommendation of some desis here).
Here’s an excerpt from The White Tiger of two villagers discussing a city gal (P.107):
BTW, the woman works at a call center.
They (your library) would have got “The White Tiger” after the Booker prize, no?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Yes, they do. The county library also has the CD version now.
Will go out to Blockbuster & get City of God (some think this movie inspired or is better than Slumdog Millionaire)
You havent made any further mention of The Bridges of Madison County, am I to infer you dint like it? 🙁
SearchIndia.com Responds:
No, we did not dislike it.
The beginning was OK, then there was the Mills & Boon-esque middle (particularly P.82-84) when your ‘cowboy’ spends a few days with Francesca, then the story gets better as we get to the end.
There were quite a few references to India – at least six including one to Pondicherry (although it’s not named).
Was this your favorite line:
BTW, the book was made into a movie as well featuring two of our favorite stars – Clint Eastwood & Meryl Streep – and directed by Eastwood.
We’ll watch the movie sometime in the near future & review it too.
Happ to see a funny tamil movie in some useless channel the movie is called “Kalakrey chandru” I think its the last movie where Prabhu and Karthick acted together…shocked to see the story line like that of “Slumdog millionaire” ofcoures there isnt that bad violence/terrorism in it..this tamil movie is more of a funny note but also revolves around the “Quiz show” and all the answers are interesting related to the flashback…search india shall we say the Dog director has copied a tamil movie??!!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Interesting. Very interesting.
The technical brilliance of this film — sound, score, cinematography, editing — is remarkable.
The screenplay is a cartoonish gloss, and the character development is minimal.
People have said Dev Patel isn’t a great actor, but his performance is as memorable as those the three veteran actors, Mr. Kapoor, Mr. Khan, and Mr. Shukla. And Madhur Mittal is quite strong, as well. Slumdog is a rough outsider’s sketch of India, in terms of the script and characters. But the five actors I mentioned, plus the cinematography, editing, music and sound, step beyond those limitations to tell a powerful story and make the film.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You ignore the youngsters, who did an amazing job.
In perspective, this might sound silly, but I read the last few pages of the books through blurred eyes.
I know about the movie, but dint want to watch it, lest I lose the flavor of the book, and the characters.
The line you mentioned above packs a powerful punch, and it really is one of my fav lines. Sigh!
PS: I dint participate in the MNB contest, btw… I had a nice storyline in mind, but what with joinin at the new job and all, I kind of lost track, and before I knew it the last date was over 🙁
Maybe I could write and post it to you, and you could review it, huh? 🙂
Check out Luck by Chance. Its an average movie. It could have been better. Farhan is really good actor. Hritik Roshan is strictly OK. The only movie I slightly liked him was in Koi Mil Gaya and Jodha Akbar and I think rest of his movies have been pretty pathetic such as Dhoom 2, Krish etc…..The man just can’t stop acting like GAY! In this movie, he is back to his GAY routine. I remember one of his interview where he said “I am very self conscious about the way I look” but it doesn’t mean that you have to stop being yourself. The man uses too much grease and tan lotion.
I measured them against the kids in Born Into Brothels, and they came up short. I went into the film expecting them to be great like that. Yup I know Born Into Brothels is a documentary, but after you’ve seen it, no one acting out poverty in a film, no matter what their real-life experience or acting skills, can come close.
I came away from Slumdog somewhat angry at the light sketchiness of the story, and the underdeveloped characterizations, from a writing POV.
After twenty minutes, what stayed with me were the visuals and sound in every respect. Boyle uses expressive visuals to tell the story in all his films, no matter how strong or weak the screenplay. The on-location sound, and some of the best camera shots I’ve ever seen of Mumbai — comparable to Spike Lee’s NYC in Inside Man, which is so redolent of the city’s financial district I could smell the nabe as I watched the film — are brilliantly brilliantly captured. Rahman’s work is luscious. The editing is precise, percussive, with an unrelenting pace. The color is rich and lovely, a difficult thing to capture if shooting in Mumbai because of the frequent hazes that cast the light to yellow.
The male actors’ work stayed distinct and strong as the experience of the film faded. This was the biggest surprise of the film, for me. I’d read so much about how great the kids were, and that, except for Kapoor and Khan, the adults weren’t quite so stellar. Dev Patel was the biggest surprise. His relatively comfortable UK background is apparent, so at first he didn’t read well to me as a grown-up poor Mumbaiker. Yet by the end of the film. he’d convinced me completely.
Even now, Dev Patel stands tall in my mind. His character, Jamal, seems to live on the edge of life, but he’s actually centered in life, in a very quiet way. Jamal doesn’t seem strong, a winner, but his focus and tenacity make him stronger and more of a winner than anyone else. Like that, is Dev Patel’s performance itself.
The five male actors’ work did the job of characterization that the screenwriter did not do. For that extra duty alone, they should have gotten some award nominations. You could produce this story as a stage play with a sparse setting — and if you had only these same five actors playing their respective roles, you could tell the rest of the story with narrative rather than additional actors, and the resulting play would be as memorable as the film was.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. We have yet to see Born Into Brothels. Will see it one of these days.
2. Dev Patel is extremely inadequate in his acting, a tyro.
3. Visually, more compelling than Salaam Bombay.
I want to comment on something ‘Noble’ said – “this tamil movie(“Kalakrey chandru†) is more of a funny note but also revolves around the “Quiz show†and all the answers are interesting related to the flashback” ,”search india shall we say the Dog director has copied a tamil movie??!!”
I don’t think so. Tamils adapted Vikas Swarup’s novel without a copyright (I mean they stole the plot partially) and made a bad movie-a movie not even a dog could watch. On the other hand Slumdog is genuinely adapted from Vikas’s Swarup novel and is beautifully done too. In short we Tamils tried to plagiarize Vikas’s art and the end-result was a disaster.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: a movie not even a dog could watch
Funny. 🙂
First half of the movie was acceptable. Second half was horrible, adding to it was miseable acting by the leads. I don’t think it deserves an oscar or so much hype. It is just a mediocre movie.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Yes, Dev Patel & Freida Pinto were mediocre.
Hey, SI… I just read this review, and am eager to know your views;
http://greatbong.net/2008/12/29/slumdog-millionaire-the-review/
Waiting!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. We disagree with the review in the link you provide.
But the essence of blogging is that it gives every idiot a pulpit to vent, fantasize, abuse, bully and occasionally even write some interesting stuff.
Ultimately after reading all the ‘idiots’ and listening to friends/family, moviegoers make up their minds whether they want to bless the movie with their wallets and time.
In the case of Slumdog Millionaire, the people have overwhelmingly voted with their wallets in favor of Slumdog and roundly rejected the naysayers.
In our view (as well as that of countless others), Slumdog Millionaire accomplishes well the job of a movie, which is to entertain. The reviewer is disappointed but he/she is in a minority.
2. Yes, most of the negative stereotypes about India are true. People do live in or amidst garbage dumps., Muslims are routinely slaughtered with impunity by the Hindu clowns (and vice-versa too to a lesser degree). Rape is endemic. Child prostitution is widespread. Do they all happen to the same person or group – Highly likely, in the case of minorities like Muslims. After all, misery seldom travels alone.
3. The reviewer feels Slumdog is never greater than the sum of its parts. Again, we disagree with the reviewer. Slumdog Millionaire is actually more than the sum of its individual parts (deft direction, gripping story, nice photography, fine acting by the kids et al). As we wrote in our review:
4. The ‘demented’ writer makes the following points in its review and we agree with all of them:
5. One of the most important things which the reviewer touches upon but briefly is the production quality. It is top notch in Slumdog Millionaire and the dregs in 99% of Bollywood movies.
Even if you suspend disbelief, most Bollywood movies are crude beyond belief, leaving you with a ripped-off feeling for the $10 or $12 you spend on the tickets. With Slumdog Millionaire, there are few moments where you feel shortchanged.
6. To use a contemporary anology, Slumdog Millionaire is an Obamaesque moment vis-a-vis movies made in India.
An unstoppable force like Obama or Slumdog Millionaire comes but rarely and quickly takes on a life of its own. Sure, there will be some rednecks (racists), Republican clowns or some oddball blogger who will attempt to thwart the phenomenon. But they will have as much success as the Kauravas had on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
All resistance is futile because some battles are lost before they even begin.
Hmm… I liked Slumdog a lot, but I cudnt help agreeing to certain points the guy made. Like, it’s highly unlikely for all those events to have occured to a single person. I’ve been in an 80% muslim populated area since the last 3 yrs, and not once did I find any differences between religions. But well, I know your point pertains to other places where riots are rampant.
All things considered, I enjoyed the movie, so I was ok with those odd points that crept in now and then. Anyways, I watched Dev D yesterday nite… I found it lacking in all respects except the acting; the lead actors were superb. The movie was a squib, though. Wudve been interesting if you’d reviewed that one. Rediff gave it 4 stars, I guess, though Taran Adarsh showed it the middle finger.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Dev D had a limited release here…don’t think it made it to mainstream American theatres.
You haven’t updated your blog in 22 days…Maybe, you should consider doing a piece on the ‘megastar’ Chiranjeevi phenomenon in politics. That would be interesting and timely.
Will it be NTR redux?
I liked the first half of Slumdog. Youngest and younger parts were good. Second half was boring and acting was bad. Latika had no reaction at all, Jamal expressionless as if he was confused and needless to say his bro was pathetic. Only the UK fans will like it.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Like you, we also felt the grownups didn’t do a good job.
Hey! Just came back after watching Delhi 6! Am in two minds as to whether to write a positive or a negative review! Nice to know you’ve been followin my blog; made my day! Btw, I received a comment for the last post I wrote, and it was from “Stalker from SI”…. wonder who it was! I had a feeling it might be you; cos there was a mistake in my post, and you must’ve been tempted to correct it 😉
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: Btw, I received a comment for the last post I wrote, and it was from “Stalker from SI”…. wonder who it was! I had a feeling it might be you;
Not us.
Check the following posts: Could be Gandhiji or one of his many avatars that left a comment on your blog.
1. Gandhiji
2. ★TRΞY☆
3. Þórarinsdóttir
Sorry for the delay in responding. Just returned…long drive.
hey Asha, I am Amy now. wondering if you’d prefer me if I am a girl..
SI, nice detective work. How was the Abhishek movie..
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: How was the Abhishek movie..
Please see Delhi 6 Review – A Meaningless Kaleidoscope
[Our dog chewed up this comment] 😉
wutt??? was it is a scandalous comment? was she swearing at me? can your dog regurgitate it?? please oh please.. atleast email it to me.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: can your dog regurgitate it??
Yes, our pit-bull can exgurgitate the comment if you can get Tampa to sign off on the request.
Heh 😉
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Hi, Are the folks back home rooting for Slumdog at the Oscars tonight?
We have a new Slumdog Millionaire Box Office Chart.
Hey! We’d set our alarm clocks well before! The awards start early morning at around 6 30AM, and we’re waiting for it with bated breath.
I’m rooting for Rehman, actually… I think that background score was the best Indian Cinema has ever seen.
Came across this, this morning:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/At-Oscars-4-yrs-ago-now-a-sex-worker/articleshow/4186270.cms
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Interesting piece. Thanks.
The story in your TOI link says: There is no clear answer as to how and why Preeti became a sex worker.
It’d have been interesting if the journalist had pursued this issue of how and why.
slumdog is shit. only indian movies are good
why should indians be trying for oscars.. any way they’ll give only to white skinned people. that man danny got the awards because he’s a white person..
we have our own awards.. that is enough we dont need any white garbage’s attention.
we had good movies ike lagaan, anbe sivam,mangal pandey, iqbal etc.. that all movies are like gems in indian history
we dont need any awards from white pigs..
as kamal rightly told why should be begging for oscar we’ll inturn judge their films and give award. that only is correct..ARRahman’s oscar is good because oscar becomes very small compared to his achievements..it is of no match to his taklents
ARR is a true legend ,an indian, a tamilian
Jaihind…….
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: why should indians be trying for oscars.. any way they’ll give only to white skinned people.
Jamie Foxx, Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Sidney Poitier, Forest Whitaker and Morgan Freeman are not White.
Read this list of Black Oscar nominees and winners.
ok i accept that wat abt kamal haasan,mohanlal, aamir khan, naseerudin shah ,and many other talented actors … couldnt name all of them .. may be these are the top 4 ..dont u think these guys deserve an international recognition for all the hard work and pain they have put in all these years.. dont mention only abt commercial movies they’ve acted at the end of the day they also need money for their projects.. they have also done some classic movies
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: dont u think these guys deserve an international recognition for all the hard work and pain they have put in all these years.
If hard work and pain alone were the criteria for handing out Oscars, then every whore in India deserves an award.
Kamal Haasan (Thenali) and Aamir Khan (Ghajini) are beneficiaries of theft.
Why are the other Kollywood directors not releasing their movies in the U.S. … when trash like Indralogathil can make it here….why not Paruthiveeran et al.
as I said before, Indralogothil et al were big-budget movies that could afford to go to the US. Paruthiveeran, Subramaniaburam, etc. were off a smaller budget. They were massive hits in India though…
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: Why are the other Kollywood directors not releasing their movies in the U.S. … when trash like Indralogathil can make it here….why not Paruthiveeran et al.
a). Most Tamil film producers/directors/distributors are blithering idiots.
They are clueless about the basics of both making and marketing their films.
The first part is making a film. These morons think just having a Surya, Vijay, Ajith or Rajinikanth and getting friendly reviews in some print or online publication will do the trick.
As the sorry fate of several Tamil films featuring the aforementioned names has proved, big names alone are often not enough.
Movies like Aegan, Villu, Kuselan, Ayan and Aadhavan are just not worthy enough of release in a theatre. Maybe, the stars can play it for their friends or families in their home theatre over a few drinks.
b). The second part is the marketing aspect.
Again, these buffoons are all at sea.
God, has anyone seen that producer Udayanidhi Stalin speak. We watched a couple of his interviews on YouTube. The fella gibbers like a chimp. We harbor serious doubts whether this nincompoop can even find his cojones without an anatomical atlas. Look at the two movies he’s produced – Kuruvi and Aadhavan. Utter garbage, both.
How can you hope to get smart marketing moves with schmucks like Udayanidhi Stalin at the helm.
We could easily give these monkeys some simple, low-cost marketing tips.
Without giving the game away, we’ll provide a hint. Study how young corporations and startups operate and there are some lessons here for the Tamil film producers in marketing their films.
But past experience suggests these Korangus (simians) will only learn their lessons the hard way.
On both a) and b) above, Bollywood is way ahead in the game.
oops… the first part was quoting you guys… i was providing answer
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Think of it as a new rhetorical technique, a new kind of Socratic method (whatever that thing means) of us answering our own questions. 😉
But what we wrote above is nevertheless true.
not covering the insider trading desis?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. If the government indeed has all the tapes and the evidence they appear to have, the future doesn’t look good for the three. Of course, we must always have the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
Apparently, Rajaratnam’s $100 million bail is the highest ever in the U.S. Then there’s the LTTE angle.
2. BTW, Rajaratnam is the second Sri Lankan executive to get into big time trouble here.
Remember, Sanjay Kumar, the CEO of software firm CA. He’s cooling his heels in a New Jersey prison now.
3. For your morning’s entertainment, here are eight pictures (mostly perp-walks).
Rajaratnam looks like a villain out of a Vijay movie.. super.
Was hoping Danielle will look hot.. alas! Moffat was a front-runner for CEO, I heard.. How idiotic is this to throw all that away!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: Rajaratnam looks like a villain out of a Vijay movie..
Do you think Rajaratnam will look good in stripes? 😉
2. Hard for Rajaratnam’s Galleon Group hedge fund to survive this 10-scale earthquake.