I’d add two points to yours about this film. One, I found the idea of police torture in this particular case – not per se, but in this case – also unrealistic. Two, it wasn’t so much that the plot was unrealistic about everything else as that it was so damn cliched. Not an ounce of originality anywhere.

And yes, the happy ending… Well, what can one say…

There are so many Tamil songs of Rahman, that are awesome. But just for the fact that the rest of the world cant think in TAMIL, it lost it’s charm. I know Music knows no language, but the west thinks only in English.

I am so proud for the fact that India is getting noticed for several elements in the past. It took a director from the other side to showcase the gem that we always had…

Loved your blog…

Cheers.

Like I said, two kinds of reality. But a bit dangerous because enough people will mistake one for the other. More than quibbles about the storyline, the article i linked to brings up some other important points.

And as far as the movie doesn’t show the real, well, it _is_ being sold as a movie, and not as reality.

Vikas: I have nothing against people liking the film. I am questioning whether it deserves the ‘critical acclaim’ it has received. The masses can like lots of things. Anything can become popular. But one expects jury panels to exercise critical faculties that are more sound, better informed and wiser. Or at least one used to.

Banno: Exactly! I don’t care when an unpretentious masala film shows nonsense. The worst part is there are enough bleeding hearts who’ll watch this, think its reality and pat themselves on the back for being so socially aware.

Aarti: Hmm…tough competition . That was another baffler. Maybe one should stop expecting anything from the Oscars.

But my point is not only about it being ‘worse’ in the pure film sense. I am less inclined to take a movie about some ship that sank a gadzillion years ago seriously in any case. Titanic is like a Bollywood masala flick — the kind my favourite SRK stars in usually . My problem with Slumdog is that people are lauding it for its ‘realism’ and somewhere there need to be questions raised about what is being sold as reality.

Agree with you about making too much of the Oscars. And it’s true that they don’t claim to be for the global film frat. Am quite yay on Rahman’s behalf, more because it must have made him happy than because we needed validation of his talent.

as for rehman’s oscar, i think he himself said, when he got the globe, that he believed SM wasn’t his best. owning every single album that he has ever produced, like any true fan, i know his genius revealed itself better in several other compositions. but at the end of the day, we make too much of the academy awards. how different are they than our very own filmfare awards? and they don’t be claim to be for the global film fraternity, which is why they have a separate foreign film category. rehman’s music for a western film was the only way he could’ve got the award. which effectively makes SM his debut…

And what you say is so right, the problem is not with a story of hope and redemption, when it is a Bollywood masala film. But when it is slated as ‘realistic’, it treads on dangerous grounds.

Still, Slumdog Millionaire deserved a few Oscars only, in my humble opinion. So, why did SM win 8 Oscars?!

Because “the heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of!” The power of human emotions can really overwhelm. It is a telltale sign that the ‘heart’ still calls the shots in a troubled and deteriorating world.