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Does India deserve to gloat over Slumdog Millionaire?
The aspiration of Indian dreammerchants has finally come true! "Slumdog Millionaire,” filmed in the Dharavi slums of Mumbai, has swept the Oscars this year, winning awards for Best Adapted Screen play, Cinematography, Sound Mixing. Film Editing, Original Score, Original Song. Direction and Film. Thus 'history' of some sort has been made, since Indian participation in this mother of all film awards so far had been confined to minor achievements such as costume designing and, of course, the Lifetime Achievement Award conferred to legendary helmer Satyajit Ray.
The outcome has been on expected lines, the film having not only previously bagged other honours such as the Critics Choice Award and the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), but also no less than four Golden Globes, normally a pointer to which way the Oscar wind would blow.
The rise in the stature of this movie has been a saga in itself, possessing the inspirational fantasy quality of its core theme, a boy raised in the slums winning the highest prize on a game show "Kaun
Banega Crorepati,” the desi version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." A low budget production, it had failed to find a distributor, coercing the producers to consider bringing it out straight in the DVD format. Its journey from an initial release in just seven theatres to the red carpet at the Oscars has been truly an underdog-wins-the-day story.
But surely it would be delusional for Indians to assume that these
awards are a tribute to Indian cinema. The direction has been by Danny Boyle, the screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, cinematography by Anthony Mantle and film editing by Chris Dickens.
The reality is that "Slumdog Millionaire" is a British production with an Indian background. No doubt many of the characters are played by Indian actors, but their talent as thespians have not been
acknowledged in the form of awards. The only aspect that Indians can be truly proud of are the awards to A.R. Rahman for Original Score and Song, the lyrics of the latter being penned by Gulzar.
Almost all the music composed by Rahman — starting from his breakthrough "Dil hey chhota sa, chhoti si asha" from “Roja," to the latest masala-laced "Masakali" from "Delhi-6" -- are original and superbly melodious. It won't be erroneous to say that some of these songs are way superior in terms of originality and brilliance than that featured in "Slumdog." If that's the case, why were his previous works not lauded internationally? Only on one occasion was his music globally accepted through the inclusion of his "Chhaiyya chhaiyya" from "Dil Se" in the world's 10 best songs. One must admit that "Ma tujhe salaam" is far stirring than "Jai ho!".
Many Indian films have been shot in the slums of Mumbai and Indian child actors had played parts in them. It is a moot point whether a film with the theme of "Slumdog Millionaire" would have won the hearts of a Western audience, let alone Oscars, had it been a totally Indian production.
While this in no way reflects on the aesthetic merits or emotional appeal of the movie, it does reveal in a telling way the fact that deft handling of a stereotype theme with an Indian background can reap rich dividends if the director happens to be from abroad.
A pity, indeed, that while "Slumdog Millionaire" has hogged all the limelight, another Oscar winning authentic Indian tale, as told in the documentary format by Megan Mylan in “Smile Pinky," has not been showered with the attention it deserves.
Mohammad Shahidul Islam teaches Tourism at National Hotel and Tourism Training Institute, Dhaka, Bangladesh.