The most difficult part of viewing this is separating the hype from the actual film. Every moment, you seem to be comparing what is actually happening on the screen with the numerous comments, interviews, prizes , awards and of course, THE Oscar nominations!!!
The film is being overshadowed by its publicity. The simple modern fairytale of a slumdweller and chaiwallah answering question after question on a televised quiz show and winning millions is cliched. Jamal Malik (the hero had to be a Muslim to show his backwardness) is played by Dev Patel who is as sophisticated as you can get with a Pom accent. He is a fine actor, but his casting was neither realistic nor appropriate.
Every question that he answers are somehow related to his past slum life. This is fine for the first few questions, but later becomes predictable and then extremely boring and contrived. The director had to bring in episodes like a boy Jamal, wading through a mound of shit (yes, shit!!!) to get an autograph of Amitabh Bacchan. While it brings on some horrified giggles and "Chee!! How dirty,,," incredulous exclamations, one cannot help thinking as to how this was a relook at the indomitable spirit of a rising India (the words of some of the self proclaimed, band wagon hoppers and publicists )....
Worse was yet to come. The most significant actor in Hindi films nowadays is Irfan Khan. He was forced into a role of a policeman, not investigating a murder or robbery, but one who was curious to know how Jamal knew the answers in spite of his limited upbringing. To get this, he actually electrocutes the teenager and with Saurav Shukla(his sidekick), hits him repeatedly in a brutal torture. Irfan shows his total apathy for the role, and seems to heave a sigh of relief at the conclusion. It is really difficult to see an intelligent actor like him going anywhere near this role for bucks. He must have been paid in superbucks--but he will not recommend this film a few years down the line. He might ,just decide to hide his role....
The screenplay now follows Charles Dickens ( British writers still suffer from this hangover, specially when writing about children). A convenient villain(Maman) surfaces who maims and blinds children so that they can beg and bring him money.Thank god, they did not bring in a single elephant or a snake charmer!!! The Western view of India has really gone a teeny weeny step forward!!!!
In between comes an elder brother Salim with a burn in his willy due to hot chillies. It is amazing how the slumdogs pick up the English language, and what is purported to be the mannerisms of a gangster (a la a thousand Hindi films..)
He takes the girl Jamal loves as his own, and subsequently transfers her to his boss (Mahesh Manjrekar). Jamal however keeps on looking for her and wants to run away with her (as in countless Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telegu etc. etc. ad nauseum). Freida Pinto is fresh and expressive but hey, we have seen all this many times.
The gangsters intervene, blood flows, brother dies covered in Indian banknotes (like a B grade Bollywood movie)--at which point I thought Danny Boyle had lost the purpose of the film. But he did give scope to Anil Kapoor. This man's English pronunciation is deplorable, but he did manage to convey the slyness and ego of the Host. One of the film's finest twists was when Anil Kapoor fed Jamal the wrong answer in the bathroom, but Jamal, in true survivor mode, rejected the answer and honed in on the correct one by elimination.
The film is salvaged only by some outstanding acting by the slum kids, cinematography(Anthony Dod Mantle) and music. A.R.Rahaman has done far superior work in at least half a dozen films.However, this time he had the backing of a hyperactive, hyperventilating international marketing blitz. All credit to him and his prizes. Though ,one could not understand why a Western Classical music opera was needed to convey a sense of awe among the slumdogs. Maybe it was just an expression of musical superiority.
The Taj episode was hilarious, perhaps the only area that the film speared its own expected majority viewers!!!!
But the ones who deserved the Oscars were the young Jamal and his Musketeers.(Ayush, Tanay, Azhar, Ashutosh, Rubina, Tanvi) Natural, uninhibited yet controlled and expressive---they created the best ethos of the film. Danny Boyle's success lay in these sections where his sensitivity took the upper hand. Unfortunately, his vision of creating a spoof of the Mumbai-as perceived-by West, took over and it was downhill the rest of the time.
The Editing was fast and frenetic, as if the Director was breathing down his neck and mumbling--"Go, Go GO... Otherwise the film is a goner!!!!"
Resul Pookutty (Sound mixer)and Glenn Fremantle. the Sound designer did a great job, blending street noises, dialogues and distance dialogues splendidly.
Finally, there is the traditional happy ending and dance in the Mumbai station and the distribution of invisible "Feel Good" lollipops all around.They call it the "Feel Good Movie of the Decade". I did not. I was feeling lousy because I was calculating how many great films could have been made with this money.
This film swept the BAFTAS?? It seems that recession has set in very severely on the Brits, so much so that it has destroyed their only redeeming feature--a sense of balance.
This film winning the Oscar? What a sacrilege!!! Rudderless, divorced most of the time from reality, predictable ,and messageless-- it evaporates like spirit exposed to air, quickly and without a residue.....
| SlumDog Jai Ho.mp3 |
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