Independent Indian: Work & Life of Professor Subroto Roy

10 Responses to “Is “Slumdog Millionaire” the single worst “Best Picture” ever? But then, Hollywood’s critical sensibility has been declining for years….”

1. Mark Antony Says:
   February 23, 2009 at 12:27 pm

   This was a lousy movie made by a British director who has not got over his colonial hangover.

   The gratuitous depiction of poverty in the film was sickening,

   Any Indian who cannot see through what this Brit is trying to do should be ashamed of themselves.

   India is too full of these pseudo-intellectuals and these pseudo-do-gooders who can really not look beyond assuaging their own guilt by claiming a cathartic experience while watching this utterly despicable movie.

   Shame on Danny Boyle and shame on every Indian who thinks this was a piece of art.
2. drsubrotoroy Says:
   February 23, 2009 at 2:15 pm

   Apropos the astute comment above, our whole “Governing Class” in Delhi has shown what I have elsewhere called its “continuing intellectual and moral bankruptcy” by exulting in the award.
3. Syed Hasnain Says:
   February 23, 2009 at 10:11 pm

   Thankyou for this most honest and candid analysis. Your writing alone has taken away a lot of anguish from my mind. The funny thing is that there are numerous movies made in India by Indian directors and artists, that stand way taller than much of what was nominated this year and before.

   I am happy for A.R. Rahman, and in my opinion he has always been a world class Musician/Director, although his work in Slum Dog is very dilute as compared to much of his own music in the past.
4. onely Says:
   February 24, 2009 at 7:05 am

   Thanks for this interesting point. I was surprised to hear about the inauthenticity, for example the sandwich. I had thought that there were a number of native Indian advisors on staff (including that codirector who supposedly got shortchanged because she’s an Indian woman in the world of white male directors); I would have expected them to catch those kind of things, but maybe not. Although why anything about this movie shocks me after how they mutilated Latika’s role in the original book, I don’t know. I absolutely agree that they should have used subtitles. I love subtitles. But the rumor is that American (Western?) audiences don’t like to read. I think this is patronizing and foolish–give them a chance! But in the meantime, I bet the producers didn’t want to endanger their Oscar chances: looking at your handy list above, it’s easy to see that almost none, or none, of them used subtitles–those sorts of films are relegated to “best foreign film.” Why not just consider foreign films alongside that Hollywood junk? And actually, if you think about it, Hollywood is about as foreign a place as you can get. . .
5. drsubrotoroy Says:
   February 24, 2009 at 8:53 am

   I am most grateful for the two kind comments above. I agree with Mr Hasnain’s opinion about AR Rahman’s talent.

   Yes, and regarding Lathika’s role, if in the book (which I have not read) the role is that she becomes a lawyer who comes to save Jamal from police torture, I see no explanation for why it was excluded other than a perverse desire to dwell on the muck and not on any real success (like a transition out of poverty).

   As for the torture stuff itself, that kind of torture was carried out or threatened to be carried out by the Bush-Blair duo in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib — by contrast, when Mumbai’s police on November 26 2008 in fact captured a misguided Pakistani youth who had just indulged in terrorist mass-murder killing 20 or 30 people with gunfire and grenades, Mumbai’s police treated him humanely, produced him before a magistrate, and gave him due process. The result was that he in natural gratitude sang like the proverbial canary, and allowed India to produce the dossier regarding the terrorist attack on Mumbai. I have written extensively about this here, which coincided with the release of this dreadful movie.

   The Oscar documentary award went to a splendid film about helping children with cleft lip deformities — and that should get far more attention!
6. ruchi Says:
   February 24, 2009 at 4:58 pm

   I am a student of literature at Delhi University; when I first watched the movie, I thought it an average movie and that better movies have been made in India. After its 8 Oscars, I thought I must have missed something positive. But it has certainly ignored positive aspects of Dharavi slum area — which is teeming with cyber cafes,mobile retailers and pottery-makers. A gross injustice to show only the filth and neglecting the talent and life in indian slums. But when top national politicians congratulated the cast and crew, I was really really confused and seriously might have gone crazy had I not read your article! I am glad there are people who recognise Western stereotyping as negative. I am happy for Rahman and Gulzar but don’t understand why they should hanker after international recognition.
7. Pat Says:
   June 23, 2009 at 2:32 am

   I think that sometimes one can just become overly critical. I think it’s a usual love tale and a great entertainer. Cinema is nothing but entertainment.
8. Howard Says:
   July 11, 2009 at 8:19 am

   This review is right on, including the pathetic list of Best Pictures. I count five or six good ones in the last 30 years.
9. myutterances Says:
   July 12, 2009 at 10:25 am

   The film was far from reality and did not deserve to be placed in the list of Oscar winner movies. Your review of the movie is the most honest that I have read till now.

   I couldn’t go to any multiplex to watch the movie due to an injury. I watched it on DVD pretty late. And I was shocked by what I saw.

   When Slumdog won so many Oscars I was sure that the Oscars were not fair. People could lobby hard and ensure their win.

   I had my objections to the very title of the movie. All through the movie, the attempt was to show India in a poor light. I was stunned to see reaction of the film fraternity on the movie.

   One self-proclaimed king of the Hindi film industry even went ahead to criticize a veteran actor for rejecting the role of the anchor that was played by Anil Kapoor. When the anchor tries to influence the contestant and leaks the answer (the wrong answer) does it not convey that a successful quiz show like KBC could have been played unfairly? Anil Kapoor’s character was negative.

   Do our film actors loathe slum dwellers as much as it was depicted in Slumdog Millionaire? I guess, yes. Otherwise, how could the film fraternity appreciate the erroneous story line and falsified depiction of events and characters?

   In fact I appreciate the British director for his observations and understanding of the mindset of Indian and other audiences. He knew what would sell, and what would get him into the list of Oscar winners. I wonder how many more generations it would take for them to overcome the colonial hangover.

   It is not new for the western world to laugh at India. They wouldn’t leave a chance to denigrate our country. Sadly, it has become a fad with some Indians to stand criticism of India by any means; And to voice their ‘intelligent’ views against those who raise objections to any attack on India’s culture, the place and the people.

   Ringa Ringa is a sleazy song. I would call it one of the sleaziest from Hindi films released in the last few years. As Jagjit Singh opined, Jai Ho is certainly not Gulzar’s best piece. He has penned awesome lyrics for Hindi films right from his first song – Mora Gora Aang Laile (for Bandini). It is good that A R Rehman won himself and India an Oscar for the music. But his previous works, like Roja are far superior.
10. ninjanurse Says:
    August 30, 2009 at 3:52 pm

    I have followed the real stories about the two young actors and their families, which was more interesting than the movie. There were scores of other children in the film, yet not a word about them or their neighborhood. I won’t forget the scenes of thin children climbing mountains of urban trash–this changed my perspective. But the movie wasn’t much, without the children it wouldn’t have any interest at all.

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