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Feb

10

Slumdog’s bait and switch

February 10, 2009 posted by indiatime |

Shahrukh Khan, Bollywood’s famous superstar, is slamming those who are criticizing this year’s Oscar shoo-win Slumdog Millionaire. For some reasons, it has suddenly become trendy and fashionable and politically correct to support this movie. Most of those who support the movie and criticize the critiques probably haven’t watched the movie. And so haven’t most who seem to be supporting it. So sometimes I wonder where all the Slumdog hype is coming from.

It seems to me that most who haven’t watched the movie are judging it by watching the judging of the movie by those who haven’t watched it either. Shahrukh Khan has contended that Slumdog’s has a visually appealing way about about it. Well, I agree. As one of those few who have actually watched the movie and sat through (I know several who have left the movie in the middle unable to take the abusive, cursory and cursive dialogs), I won’t deny that there is something appealing about Slumdog Millionaire. As someone who has lived in Mumbai for many years, I can also tell you that that something appealing doesn’t stem from Danny Boyle’s lens but comes from Mumbai’s own backdrop, a sensual patchwork of colors, flavors, heat, humidity, spices, sweat, disagreeable and agreeable fragrances, hot salty winds, all of it. And as someone who has worked in those slums trying to keep the young slumdogs in elementary schools, I can assure you that the visual appeal isn’t all that visual and sensual from ground zero.

But let’s keep the visual appeal aside for a moment. More than the broadbrushing of Mumbai’s reality, I think it’s the broadsiding of the reality that I find unappealing and distasteful. Once again, I have no problems if a filmmaker chooses to pull a tight close of a pile of you know what. And I will take no issue if some others find it visually appealing. But it’s the premise of the story, the silly plot, the stupid Cinderella tale, the all-too-easy money scam that mocks Mumbai’s reality, an incredibly unrealistic fairytale of a British-accented slum-dweller who rises from the pile of you know what to become a millionaire by virtue of a million life experiences that become the 10 questions in the quizmaster’s arsenal.

What I dislike about Slumdog isn’t the way it has depicted Mumbai. I really don’t care about that. But I hate the bait and switch that twists reality into the fairytale. Having taught a little bit of ABCs to those same slumdogs, I think I have a right to dislike the mocking of those of them who do not speak with a British accent. And I also dislike the way the disagreeable odors of reality suddenly become fashionably agreeable when a storyteller wishes those odors and those ills and those curses away - simply by waving a quizmaster’s wand and turning destitutes into zillionaires - hardly the message intended by those who, even today, work in those same slums, day in and day out, day and night, for months and years, tutoring and mentoring individuals, sweating it out to keep those poor souls into schools, pleading and begging the parents and the governments and the society to pay attention.

Still, there’s no denying that art imitates life. And how a pile of you know what can suddenly turn into wads of fame. And cash. And awards.

Comments

19 Comments so far

Dr Subroto Roy on February 10, 2009 6:16 pm
Yes bait and switch precisely; I took the bait of the trailer and found the real thing to be different. Here was my review from Dec 31, possibly the first from India.

http://independentindian.com/2008/12/31/how-sad-that-slumdog-millionaire-is-so-disappointing/
Vinoy on February 10, 2009 7:52 pm
The most touching comment about the film was made by a teenage girl from one of those Mumbai slums:
” I want the name (of the film) changed, because we are not dogs!”
As far as Shahrukh Khan is concerned,I think he is The Monkey of our silver screen- not more than that,not less than that!
vaman k on February 10, 2009 8:54 pm
very very correct. i was one of those who found the spoken dialogues disgusting. However there were those sitting next to me who were reading the subtitles and getting a cleaner version of the dialogues. i stayed throughout and came out thinking that it was a disappointing experience (agree with dr subroto roy). sorry to have wasted my hard-earned money.
Light on February 10, 2009 9:55 pm
Little girl’s sentiments are really a slap on face of these millionaire dogs. Thanks Dr.Subroto for clearing the clouds of ignorance.
MVP on February 11, 2009 1:05 am
The movie portrays dirt and filth so much so that a foreigner said right in front of me that this not the country worth visiting .Secondly we read in the newspaper that the family of young boy and girl from the movie are homeless in real life and they have been paid very little.There is no mention of young actors during the hoopla of oscar.PITY.
Devender Parmar on February 11, 2009 12:46 pm
There goes Vinoy ranting again…!

The movie was good though!
Deven on February 11, 2009 1:03 pm
Oh yes it did!
rationalist on February 11, 2009 4:17 pm
who is this scum of the earth? doesn’t this b…..d has anything worthwhile to say?
sam on February 11, 2009 10:08 pm
Yes.. Agree with VINOY.. Shahrukh is a MONKEY..a very OLD & UGLY one.
sam on February 11, 2009 10:18 pm
Also, If Danny BOY & Shahrukh could donate all their earnings to Children’s charity work in Mumbai, then YES, I will also cheer for them.
Devender Parmar on February 12, 2009 5:09 pm
Vinoy has a brother! Yay!
Rationalist on February 12, 2009 6:15 pm
An insolent bugger,this Parmar!
Devender Parmar on February 12, 2009 11:37 pm
How much I love you guys! Plus, the capital R in your nick is really making you sound serious now.
Rationalist on February 13, 2009 9:06 am
And your D for DUNDERHEAD!!!!!
Devender Parmar on February 13, 2009 1:54 pm
Hahahahahahaha!!! I’m really scared now Now, come on, if you have something intelligent to say about me then say it Until then, by what I’ve seen from your posts, I would rather have one of my dogs sit down here and answer your intellectual posts.
Rationalist on February 13, 2009 4:09 pm
A dog yourself,having a dog as pet!I leave you together alone to suck each other’s salive.Bye.
Devender Parmar on February 14, 2009 12:51 am
Finally, after 3 unnecessary posts, you understand that you’re actually not making a point and leave? Talk about Downs Syndrome!
jojo on April 19, 2009 10:08 pm
Good on you Shahrukh. At least you are more real than the people who love to live in their fantazy world. Slumdog millionaire wasn’t about the slums im India(which is real anyway). Just a story of a boy from the slums who became a millionaire.
sid on May 19, 2009 12:37 am
this movie did not deserve an oscar, it is just the exploitation of our culture by foreigners, i wanted lagaan to win the oscars, but too bad it did not!:(