[diabloo]

And the appearance of boy-Ram at the scene of riot?

Originally Posted by hemanthisgreat

As far as I recall, these things have been explained.

My point was he makes movies for Hollywood, ie Hollywood produces his movies.

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Danny Boyle is a British Director and not from the Hollywood film industry.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Whatever happened to talking straight.

Whatever happened to reading it straight? I read what I wrote, it was quite straight forward. BTW, hullabaloo comment was not made by me.

[Sam Kapasi]

Are we all trying to find intelligence and reason in films now? We? The residents of a country where people have been producers of reason-free and illogical hit cinema for decades?

Why don't I find discussions on how that Sardarji took the parachute back up in the sky in Sinngh is King?

We laugh when Govinda jumps up backwards on top a tree in a super hit movie and now want to find reason and intelligence in SDM because it was made by a director in the west?

Come on guys, even I know that SDM was in many ways stereotyping and illogical in nature. So? That's entertainment. You want reality, go watch Smile Pinki.

[hemanthisgreat]

Originally Posted by diabloo

And the appearance of boy-Ram at the scene of riot?

I did not get you on this. What is there to be explained. Should not there be a temple in the slum where both Hindus and Muslims live.

[Spitfire]

First thing first, its a movie. So trying to be absolutely correct about everything is not a prerequisite. Even Benjamin Button was nominated - try and explain the events in that movie

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

1) A blind beggar boy smelling a dollar currency note and identifying the picture by feeling the note ?

Thats a long shot but hey isnt it possible? What do you think a beggar handles the most in every day of his life? Maybe just maybe he might know its not Indian rupees but American Dollars just by touching it. Foreign tourists are the once most heckled by the beggars and guess which currency is universally accepted?

He knowing Benjamin Franklin could be because the kid is shown to be a bright one singing the poem quite well and being eager about getting to the next level. Also Jamal explains the picture to hi. He does not feel it.

2) A boy just picks up the gun and he knows who was the inventor ?

Well not exactly, he hears his brother saying "I have the Colt in my hands" or something like that. He dosent say he is the inventor.

Most Colt revolvers have Colt written on it. He dosent need to know Samuel Colt just Colt will do.

And they do know english, they were being taught 3 Musketeers.

A lot of other such instances are there which throw logic out of the window. Now tell me - if this movie was made in Bollywood with David Dhawan directing and Govinda acting - we would have RIDICULED the movie no end.

Yeah and probably given it an award as best comedy or better still best movie. Unless David Dhawan has started making serious movies

[aerohit]

The Oscars only represent the success in the film industry of the United States (confirmed). A film that performs well in the US and performs bad in India can make it to the Oscars, but a film that performs well in India and bad in the US will never make it to the Oscars. Hence, Slumdog making it to the Oscars does not represent the true success of an "Indian" film. Slumdog is a foreign film, foreign produced and does not make me feel proud (as compared to hoo haa on Indian newspapers)

Due to the low morale, Indian people judge their success only when United States approves of them.



The new formula for Profit works - Low Budget + Exploit the poverty + Show you the so humble = Profit!

[RX135]

I came across an interesting article explaining clever differences between the novel (on which the movie is based) and the screen play.

• The novel talks about American corporate backing the show, playing as the villain, while the movie portrays the anchor as villain.
• Few subtle religious references were added (Hindu-Muslim divide etc). to spice up the movie and also few religious references dropped from the original novel to make it more agreeable to Western Audience.
• The original novel doesn't talk much about poverty and associated gory details other than the actual theme, but the movie does a lot more.

AS N_C pointed out, there are some things which are more of Hollywood masala and aimed at pleasing/shocking with awe the Western audience.

While there can always be a debate over the movie, I am still surprised at the music awards. If those songs get Oscar, what about Rehman's far superior music? Did the awards come Rehman's way ONLY because the movie won so many nominations? But then even Lagaan was nominated for Oscar and most will agree that its music was better than SDM.

The way I look at it, it's a Hollywood award coming from the US of A. They have a choice to choose what they like and what they think is the best. But, we don't have to decide if a movie is good or bad, based on if it got Oscar or not.

It's okay for them to choose it as the best movie. It's okay for us to think it was nothing more than a decent movie aimed at pleasing western audience. We don't have to be convinced that it's the best movie in the world because it got an Oscar. We all know Rehman has produced far better masterpieces. I don't need foreign yardstick to measure how good or bad he is, contrary to what electronic/internet/print media, hoards of RJs, VJs and news anchors keep on telling me.

It would be nice if we can set our own benchmarks than looking up to the West to judge and recognize our talent.

(A poor analogy here: South Africans don't need award like "BharatRatna" to know how greatNelson Mandela has been).

[Spitfire]

Well the point is 2 Indians winning the Oscar, thats it.

An Indian(genuine Indian citizen) getting the highest award in his field is commendable. And thats all we are doing - enjoying the success of 2 fellow Indians.

What the movie shows, did, means is secondary.

Slumdog was just the platform.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Come on guys, even I know that SDM was in many ways stereotyping and illogical in nature. So? That's entertainment. You want reality, go watch Smile Pinki.

Remember, Indians did not win an oscar in that one. Whose name can we rubbish ?

[diabloo]

Gujarat chief justice on the term 'Slumdog' being derogatory and offensive:

• "The film has furnished us with tools and inspiration needed to cope with momentous problems faced by slum dwellers, poverty, police excesses, blinding of boys and so on,''
• "Boyle's film exposes the hidden talent of slum dwellers and their ability of observation"
• "We shall not entertain an orthodox view when we see a film of this nature. We must give a vast area of creative art to interpret true life and society...''
• "The slum boy whether he is called as an underdog or slumdog is not portrayed as inferior to anyone, but has been highlighted and depicted as a jewel from the slums of Mumbai, who has risen to win a fortune. We therefore, hold that the title `Slumdog Millionaire' is not intended to deny any public decency or morality or defamatory to slum-dwellers.''

Source: Gujarat chief justice bats for 'Slumdog...'

[diabloo]

In the book, the main character name is Ram Mohammad Thomas and is orphan from birth. Questions are diffrent too. Rest from Vikas Swarup, the author of Q&A, on which SDM is based.

"My chapter starts with, 'I have been arrested. For winning a quiz show.' He is a pauper arrested for winning the quiz show. A lawyer comes to his help.

He does not know Smita Shah, but since she came to save him, he accepts her help. He does not have money to pay her. He cannot even hire a taxi. Smita is a sutrdhar of the novel who appears in all chapters. She speaks well. She brings him to her home. She asks him how he did it. How did he know all the answers?


He says, 'I don't know why I knew the answers. May be, my life is such that I came to know the answers.'
She asks, 'Let me go over your whole life.'
He says, 'May I start with year number one?'
She says , 'No, with question number one.'

That is how there are 12 chapters in the novel and the last chapter is named the thirteenth question, when he wins the jackpot. I have explained his life story in each chapter and at the end comes the question.

The difficult part of writing is plotting. I had to follow the etiquette of the quiz show. In the quiz show, easy questions are at the beginning and the tough one are at the end. It has to be good mix of questions on sports, science, history and other subjects.

The toughest part is to ensure the questions are integral to the story. The readers should not feel that because of the questions I have contrived the story. Readers should feel that because of his life story he has been able to answer the questions.

The second question to Ram on the quiz show is, 'What is written on the Cross? NRI, INRI or RNI?'
He explains how he became an orphan when he was left in a dustbin after birth. The first six years of his life he spends with a priest.

My chapters are realistic, closer to life. That makes it unpredictable too. He meets an Australian diplomat, he becomes a guide at the Taj Mahal .

I try to say that don't dismiss somebody because his circumstances are bad. My plot revolves around Delhi, Agra and Mumbai."

Originally Posted by RX135

I came across an interesting article explaining clever differences between the novel (on which the movie is based) and the screen play.

[DCEite]

Oscar Pizza Recipe:
On a base made of Indian poverty, add a layer of slums and beggars. Now add a few slices of riots and Hindu-Muslim divide. Apply a small paste of fake English accents. Garnish with soul-less music and add a pinch of mindless dancing for taste.
Bingo! Oscar Pizza is ready.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Whatever happened to reading it straight? I read what I wrote, it was quite straight forward. BTW, hullabaloo comment was not made by me.

Man, whatever happened to being credible!
I read it straight and thats why i got confused.
Come on! You want me to spell it out for you? Tanveer made the hullabaloo comment when attempting to explain what you said and you endorsed what he said. If you are backing down from what you said earlier, fine.

[RX135]

Originally Posted by DCEite

Bingo! Oscar Pizza is ready.

And, that's the best Pizza of the world! Why? Because it comes from the US of A and you have to like its taste. If you don't, you are cynical ;-)

Amitoj and Samurai, how about sorting your differences over a drink or two? And before you together pounce on me, sorry for this unsolicited advice!

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Man, whatever happened to being credible!
I read it straight and thats why i got confused.
Come on! You want me to spell it out for you? Tanveer made the hullabaloo comment when attempting to explain what you said and you endorsed what he said. If you are backing down from what you said earlier, fine.

I endorsed his understanding of my post, not his exact choice of words. This is not a legal document where I have to spell out the scope everytime. Actually, I'll stop here. You have already claimed you can't understand my writing.