Slumdog Millionaire. Slumdog Crorepati.
The film has received wide spread acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic and has collectively secured a total of 21 nominations from Oscar and BAFTA. Its an unstoppable train, an inevitable march towards ultimate recognition. But since the film premiered in Mumbai on the 22nd January, a backlash has begun. From online film twitters to Bollywood megastars, questions have been raised regarding the quality of the film as well as the India it portrays.
See http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/jan/15/danny-boyle-shows
The final 30 mins of the film is so dizzyingly and gleefully edited, as if magically wrought by the genius of a Capra, Disney or Miyazaki, I defy anyone to be left unmoved (or uninvolved) by the final credits. However, the film does still seem to me as a little one-dimensional and predictable in its storytelling with the D-E-S-T-I-N-Y card a little too large to consume.
My interest is definately more rooted in the global debate it has raised.
Is it 'poverty porn'? Or is it a fair portrait of modern day India? I would argue the latter but many have vehemently disagreed. On the flipside, does it deserve to win the biggest and most recognised award in cinema? Is that it's place in history or should we be laying out the red carpet for more populist yet also critically raved fare such as Wall-E or The Dark Knight? All comments welcome!
What the film's success has done (hopefully) is to break down the barriers at a grass root level for talented international films and filmmakers to force through the age-old stereotypes as to what we as western audiences want from cinema.
Plus the kids are alright :).
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