IS INDIA GOING EXTRA EUPHORIC OVER SLUMDOG’s SENSATION at OSCAR?

Slumdog Millionare, directed and produced by foreigners has brought Oscars for showcasing India's poverty and exposing Mumbai's dirty underbelly. Music magician A R Rehman and sound mixer Resul Pookutty got the top honors at the Academy Awards ceremony and everyone is singing Jai ho.

However, many critics believe India should not celebrate Slumdog Millionaire’s success at all. But here are the reasons why India can and should celebrate the film's Oscar glory.

·         The screenplay has been borrowed from Indian representative Vikas Swarup's novel Q & A

·         The Oscar winning piece of music for Slumdog Millionaire has been composed by Indian music magician  A R Rahman

·         Lyrics for Jai Ho have been penned by Indian poet Gulzar

·         Sound for Slumdog Millionaire has been designed and mixed by Indian technician Resul Pookutty

·         All the characters in the film including the protagonists are Indians

·         The supporting cast of the film includes Indian Bollywood stars like Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Mahesh Manjrekar and Saurabh Shukla

·         The Co-Director, Loveleen Tandon, is of Indian origin

Therefore, the question that rose in my mind was: Should India take credit for Slumdog's hit at Oscar’s?

Slumdog Millionaire is not an Indian film. It's a film about India made by British filmmakers,

We should actually honor A R Rahman, Gulzar, Resul Pookutty and Pinki and not have the entire euphoric misconception about Slumdog Millionaire being an Indian movie.

Is JAI HO the best of RAHMAN?

I feel that the music that brought Rahman his Oscar was really not the best of his stuff. But, Rahman had given better melodies in Tamil and Hindi movies than Jai Ho.

I don't mean to say Jai Ho is not a good song, but certainly not the best of Rahman's creation.

Slumdog is for western audience

Slumdog Millionaire is a movie from a westerner’s point of view for the western audience and therefore it clicked. In India slums are not a rare, and an Indian filmmaker would not want to show his audience things that they are so familiar with.

Salaam Bombay made by an Indian on Mumbai slums long ago did not receive the deserved credit because it was in Hindi.

FINAL WORD

However irrespective of the pessimism and all the debate over India's happiness and patriotism, one must not forget the two individuals who won awards and brought glory to the country - A R Rahman and Resul Pookutty - did so for their original work. And that surely is a reason to celebrate.