Wednesday, January 28, 2009

And the winner is.....Slumdog Millionaire!!

I saw the movie last week in a theatre and i am mentioning theatre because the general trend here with students is to watch movies online. You go to a theatre only on certain occasions like when you have surplus money to spend or when someone else is paying for you or when you find a theatre which offers reasonable rate. [ We didnt want it to be like this, but this time we fell into the second category :) ].

In my opinion, the movie is nice. I think people over here started watching this movie only when they got to know that it won 4 golden globe awards. For once when we went to watch the movie, the tickets were sold out, not just for 1 show but for all the shows on that day. Apparently, our fellow indians back in India have not taken the movie too well.

People living in the slums of mumbai are unhappy with the image that is portrayed in the movie. They dont want to be called a 'slumdog'. According to some of them, the conditions shown in the movie are exaggerated and they say that the film makers are just cashing in on the poverty of india.

Well, I feel that whatever is shown in the movie is stark reality. I have lived in mumbai for 22 years and i have seen dharavi (the slum area). It is the way it is shown. There is garbage, there are small children who are trained to beg, there are hindu muslim riots, there are brothel areas, there are gangsters. In mumbai, on one side, we have the posh locality and on the other side we have these slums.

I think people abroad liked the movie because eventhough they know that poverty is prevalent in India, they never got to see the details of it. We were the only 3 indians in the theatre, it was nice to see all the americans appreciating an indian movie.

I feel the best part of the movie is the song...'jai ho'. Recently, i saw a video on youtube wherein the lead actor and the actress of the movie were in a talk show and in the end of the show the entire cast and crew of the show starts dancing to the song. The whole song and dance thing is very amusing for them but still, i guess they enjoy it.

All in all, its a nice movie, some people feel the image that is portrayed in the movie is too harsh, some people feel that it is just the reality and we should just accept it.

One can watch it once atleast, if not for anything else, just for funsake....and heres the link to that video on youtube....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTzA5h81kQQ

21 comments:

falcon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

@Arpita

Yes indeed a nice movie...
And a nice post....
I don't understand why ppl don't complain when they make a movie on filthy rich ppl like K3G or completely distorted version like Ashoka which is as far as reality as one can be but would scorn at something which is real to a large extent...

arpita said...

@ Anonymous

Well...i guess some people feel that reel life is always far from reality, i think some people use movies to move away from reality and enter into a fantasy world...where there is always a happy ending...

btw...is the comment that has been deleted yours?

Anonymous said...

@Arpita

Ofcourse!!!
I publihed it with my name...!!!!

Anonymous said...

@Arpita

Ofcourse!!!
I publihed it with my name...!!!!

arpita said...

@ Anonmymous

Damn it! I missed it!

Anonymous said...

@Arpita

Why Damn ... my blog has my name ...
...
Only if u want to read it!!!

arpita said...

@ Anonymous

I have read your blogs. It doesnt give your real name.

Anonymous said...

@Arpita

Plz check ur email

Anonymous said...

@Arpita

Hope u got my name :)

Anonymous said...

http://www.microsoft.com/winhec/images/WindowsServer2088Name.png

Anonymous said...

Everyone wants to see the negative side of the INDIA, so lots of INDIANs who live abroad also enjoying the movie so i m happy to see u that u r one of them.
But u should not also do the same mistake that director of movie has done, but frm the director's point of view he is showing only -ve side, but we INDIANS should take this as a challenge to improve our impression in the world, we are not only the poor people in the world. So not every indian has to appreciate the movie but also must have to take as a challange to improve our indian impression in the world...

visHp said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

@VP and Vishp

I don't understand what's the problem... If we make a movie where hero is born and poverty and tries and tries... yet doesn't get the gal and ultimately dies of hunger and poverty..

You call it a class "Art movie" and recommend it to national award.... but if a movie tries to show the rise .. and ends with hope.. u call it selling of India's poverty..

The problem is, we are a hypocrite we cannot stand others success and we cannot take it that people with different nationalities can show a different but true and dark aspect of India.

It is the exclusive right of "people of Indian origin" and "NRI"!!!

U supported Lagaan why not Slumdog just becoz it's India V/s Indians

-Shivam

Anonymous said...

Its good to hear that you writing this blog bcs you don't paid for it,may be you also went to see this movie after heared about awards, and if you stayed in bombay you shoud know that rich & poor r 2 side of one coin, so as a indian if you like this movie which part of movie tuch you? they r giving this award 4 reality, why they didn't show second part of coin?

Anonymous said...

Its good to hear that you writing this blog bcs you don't paid for it,may be you also went to see this movie after heared about awards, and if you stayed in bombay you shoud know that rich & poor r 2 side of one coin, so as a indian if you like this movie which part of movie tuch you? they r giving this award 4 reality, why they didn't show second part of coin?

arpita said...

@ Anonymous

Firstly, i knew about this movie since a long time and i also knew its a good movie (thanks to my friend Mr. Guess Who). As a matter of fact, i had started watching it online once bt when i got to know tht some of my frnds were also interested in watching it, we thought we should just go to the theatre, so im not one of those people who saw the movie just beacuse it won awards...
Secondly, yes i have stayed im mumbai and i know very well that rich and poor are 2 sides of a coin. According to me, this movie's story did not demand the depiction of the rich people in India. Why cant people understand such a simple thing?!
I think the love story is nice, he takes all the effort to get his girl back. As an indian, i accept both sides of my country, the poverty and the richness...that should give you the answer to your questions...

Anonymous said...

As a matter of fact, i had started watching it online once


Piracy... Chor... :P :P :P

arpita said...

@ Mr. Guess who

tu to kuch bol hi mat waste...mujhe pata hai tune bhi online hi dekha hai...

Anonymous said...

@arpita

Gal ... You should seriously look to a profession as a fortune-teller...

-Shivam

Anonymous said...

teen teen?! naahhiiii