Lunch time debate..

A heated debate on "Slumdog Millionaire" during lunch time with colleagues ! A movie debate after a long time, but digressed somewhere in the midst with too many emotional biases that people seem to have.

Let me start by saying I completely loved the movie and the fact that Vikas Swaroop's 'Q & A' was chosen to be made into the movie by Danny Boyle. I was watching the movie with sheer amazement that a non Indian could have made a movie that had such an Indian heart!
It is probably easy to capture people and places but to get the Indian emotions and sensibility right is by far the toughest nut to crack. And Boyle manages to do just that !

There are scenes and aspects of the movie which are gruesome and even unpalatable, times where i almost closed my eyes just to fade out certain scenes. I guess like the modern, urban India, we would rather live in denial, in the comforts of our middle class existence. Mumbai is powerful, mumbai is all accepting, mumbai is friendly and lovely. But there is an ugly side to it. It has one of the largest slum settlement in the world. The underworld and its influence is spread far and wide. And it has been in the past, been the hotbed for all communal and political atrocities!
That said, the movie is not just about that, it is a love story at the core. And it is a beautiful logic defying love story to be told. The performances are top notch and the actors fit the role to the T (except for a teensy rant that I have about the protagonist being too urban to play Jamal, he has a brit twang :P)

2 major grouses my colleagues seem to have is that a) It is just not done to keep showcasing the poor India b) Why should a non Indian make a movie about the grimy details of our cities/county.

I guess I kinda agree with the first point coz whenever you see any shows in Discovery or Travel & Living, its a very poor representation of our country. Too many beggars and too many cows ! I mean, there are other aspects to this lovely country of ours and I am still wondering why any travel or discovery show would not show that ! Call it the Indian image or whatever, but it is only limited to the Poor India in slums and streets or the Travelers India which is either full of palaces and spas but with an ample splatter of beggars as well :)
I guess the normal/ urban India is not interesting enough for the Discovery/ Travel channels :)

The second opinion is totally a skewed one and believe me I debated with that guy for like half an hour trying to understand his misplaced patriotism ! I mean why would take any movie so personally? And isn't it a big deal in itself that an Indian novel by an Indian author set in India was chosen by Fox searchlight to be made into a movie. That itself I would think is rocking! And its a bloody good adaptation of the book.

Do watch the movie, even if you are a little faint hearted coz it is a feel good movie at the end of the day. A triumph of spirits and love an all that blah blah :)

ps: Also, read 'Six Suspects' by Vikas Swaroop if you can manage to get it. Very simply written but amazing characters in that as well.

pps: Happy New Year !!!