Hi Friends,
I received the below info through an email and it got me thinking... Is it really a shame that we showed India in such poor light and received 3 trophies for it ??? Or is it just something that trouble makers are passing around to make sure we dont feel great about the awards???
Let me know your views and thoughts about this :)
3 Oscars for Indians - Read the other side story
Yes, indeed it is a matter of pride for us as 3 Indians won 3 Oscar awards . But at what cost? When we look at the other side of the coin, I feel what we lost is more than what we won. (Please read it completely)
It is film by foreigners about the story of Indians and the only exception is A R Rahman .
Directed by Danny Boyle
Produced by Christian Colson
Written by Simon Beaufoy
Music by A. R. Rahman
Cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle
Editing by Chris Dickens
Budget $15 million
Gross revenue $159,226,072
The film portrays the poverty in India and shown to the world how the life lead by the children in slums. Pre Independence Britishers equaled Indians with dogs by saying "Dogs and Indians not allowed" into a restaurant. Even after 50 years of Indian Independence these western people call the children in our slums as "dogs". They made good money making fun of India at International level. There are many humiliating scenes in the movie which will make us feel ashamed, like:
* The children posing as guides at Taj Mahal and cheating the tourists
* The children working in hotel refills the Mineral water bottle and cheating the customers
* Pick pocketing, stealing and reselling tourist footwear
* Grounding a car of a foreign tourist
* Training and employing the children for street begging
* Making a child blind to make him an impact beggar
* Training and pushing young girls into brothel house
* Children becoming criminals at the age they don't know what is life
* Host of the game suspecting the knowledge of a slum boy and trying to mislead the participant
Hollywood journalist called Slumdog as "Poverty p*rn" What impact will this have on India amongst the audience of western world? What do the children in slums learn from this film?
It is rightly mentioned in Amitabh's blog : "if Slumdog Millionaire projects India as Third World dirty under belly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky under belly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations ." Bachchan also states: "It's just that the Slumdog Millionaire idea authored by an Indian and conceived and cinematically put together by a Westerner, gets creative Globe recognition. The other would perhaps not."
If we had won an Oscars for a film like Lagaan in which we throwed out Britishers from our country by defeating them in their own game, every Indian would have been really proud. The Academy did not found Lagaan good for an award but for Slumdog Millionaire .
Kind Regards
Arun Muralidhar
From India, Pondicherry
I received the below info through an email and it got me thinking... Is it really a shame that we showed India in such poor light and received 3 trophies for it ??? Or is it just something that trouble makers are passing around to make sure we dont feel great about the awards???
Let me know your views and thoughts about this :)
3 Oscars for Indians - Read the other side story
Yes, indeed it is a matter of pride for us as 3 Indians won 3 Oscar awards . But at what cost? When we look at the other side of the coin, I feel what we lost is more than what we won. (Please read it completely)
It is film by foreigners about the story of Indians and the only exception is A R Rahman .
Directed by Danny Boyle
Produced by Christian Colson
Written by Simon Beaufoy
Music by A. R. Rahman
Cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle
Editing by Chris Dickens
Budget $15 million
Gross revenue $159,226,072
The film portrays the poverty in India and shown to the world how the life lead by the children in slums. Pre Independence Britishers equaled Indians with dogs by saying "Dogs and Indians not allowed" into a restaurant. Even after 50 years of Indian Independence these western people call the children in our slums as "dogs". They made good money making fun of India at International level. There are many humiliating scenes in the movie which will make us feel ashamed, like:
* The children posing as guides at Taj Mahal and cheating the tourists
* The children working in hotel refills the Mineral water bottle and cheating the customers
* Pick pocketing, stealing and reselling tourist footwear
* Grounding a car of a foreign tourist
* Training and employing the children for street begging
* Making a child blind to make him an impact beggar
* Training and pushing young girls into brothel house
* Children becoming criminals at the age they don't know what is life
* Host of the game suspecting the knowledge of a slum boy and trying to mislead the participant
Hollywood journalist called Slumdog as "Poverty p*rn" What impact will this have on India amongst the audience of western world? What do the children in slums learn from this film?
It is rightly mentioned in Amitabh's blog : "if Slumdog Millionaire projects India as Third World dirty under belly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky under belly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations ." Bachchan also states: "It's just that the Slumdog Millionaire idea authored by an Indian and conceived and cinematically put together by a Westerner, gets creative Globe recognition. The other would perhaps not."
If we had won an Oscars for a film like Lagaan in which we throwed out Britishers from our country by defeating them in their own game, every Indian would have been really proud. The Academy did not found Lagaan good for an award but for Slumdog Millionaire .
Kind Regards
Arun Muralidhar
From India, Pondicherry
Dear Arun Muralidhar,
You say that "There are many humiliating scenes in the movie which will make us feel ashamed".
It is the reality that should ashame us not the movie scenes. Every single instance that you have mentioned has really happened. Not only is it just one odd case but these are routine cases. The routine has desensitised us.
Movies are mirrors of the society. What you are trying to say is not to look at mirrors else our own image may irritate us or give some nasty look!
Dear Arun may I remind you that after 62 years of independence one of three Indian is illiterate and one out of four lives below the poverty line? Other than this heart chilling statistics, is there anything that should ashame us?
Ok...
Dinesh V Divekar
From India, Bangalore
You say that "There are many humiliating scenes in the movie which will make us feel ashamed".
It is the reality that should ashame us not the movie scenes. Every single instance that you have mentioned has really happened. Not only is it just one odd case but these are routine cases. The routine has desensitised us.
Movies are mirrors of the society. What you are trying to say is not to look at mirrors else our own image may irritate us or give some nasty look!
Dear Arun may I remind you that after 62 years of independence one of three Indian is illiterate and one out of four lives below the poverty line? Other than this heart chilling statistics, is there anything that should ashame us?
Ok...
Dinesh V Divekar
From India, Bangalore
Hi.. I totally agree with Mr. Dinesh Divekar that its we Indians who should feel ashamed of not the movie makers. The movie shows the reality n nothing is wrong in showing or seeing the same. Nitu
From India, Vadodara
From India, Vadodara
I would agree with Dinesh for what he has quoted here. He is right shouldn’t we look at the mirror. Rgds, J
Dear All, Instead of blaming each other, we should see what best we can contribute at our own leavel for the upliftment of our society. Let us do something on this line. Regards Srikanth
From India, Madras
From India, Madras
Dear All,
We have been doing this and we will keep on doing this until the world ends.
Whenever any issue is being raised first we go beyond the subject and discuss then when we gv it either the shape of religion or regional disharmony and then fight among ourselves kill our own mates.
So the result "NOTHING" and this will keep on continuing unless and until we dnt change our mind set.
Here Mr.Arun and Mr.Dinesh both are right at their end but whats the point in just giving the numbers. Everybody knows what the ground reality is but has anyone ever tried to reduce even one of them be it a poor or uneducated child.I guess "NONE".
So stop counting numbers and try to reduce.
Best Regards
Sushmita
From India, Gurgaon
We have been doing this and we will keep on doing this until the world ends.
Whenever any issue is being raised first we go beyond the subject and discuss then when we gv it either the shape of religion or regional disharmony and then fight among ourselves kill our own mates.
So the result "NOTHING" and this will keep on continuing unless and until we dnt change our mind set.
Here Mr.Arun and Mr.Dinesh both are right at their end but whats the point in just giving the numbers. Everybody knows what the ground reality is but has anyone ever tried to reduce even one of them be it a poor or uneducated child.I guess "NONE".
So stop counting numbers and try to reduce.
Best Regards
Sushmita
From India, Gurgaon
I cannot understand what you are trying to express.
Are you trying to convice us that this does not happen in India?
Or are you trying to say that just because this film was made by non-Indians its content is not acceptable?
Or are you trying to say that India should not have accepted the oscars?
I am confused.......Wake up and accept reality!
These things happen.
The film won oscars
And Bollywood could NOT have made the film.
Now don't go around trying to stir up angst after the fact.
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
Are you trying to convice us that this does not happen in India?
Or are you trying to say that just because this film was made by non-Indians its content is not acceptable?
Or are you trying to say that India should not have accepted the oscars?
I am confused.......Wake up and accept reality!
These things happen.
The film won oscars
And Bollywood could NOT have made the film.
Now don't go around trying to stir up angst after the fact.
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
Dear Arun;
It is never too late to build things in reality...What matters to most; to all of us, human of intellects....must ascertain that things happening arounds us makes it a value for us (like you) to move on and be a change agent...
The very point of this movie (in a collective approach) is never to downgrade indian society yet to the contrary, there is far greater than what it is as a whole...The movie in my views suggest the delicate subject of love and trust, betrayal & discontentment...Freedom and braveness...Truth & iNJUSTICE...among only the very little and few spices I catch up with the movie.
To my standing, I urge everyone to appreciate the likeliness of the movie perse and the wisdom it brings to the majority.
The social stigma for us, facing the very reality on its existence maybe be very hurting. Could this be, because we are weak? Could this be because we are afraid to see the realms of poverty? Or could this be an insentivity (rising in the inner part of ourselves) that we can do little or NOTHING at all attitude?
Somehow, that movie is never meant to degrade BUT to upgrade the sensitivities of our human nature to act and be a change agent for the rest of those who are in need...
To you Mr. Dinesh, you made the word fully understood in the very simple statement...Thank you for inviting..!!!
From Saudi Arabia
It is never too late to build things in reality...What matters to most; to all of us, human of intellects....must ascertain that things happening arounds us makes it a value for us (like you) to move on and be a change agent...
The very point of this movie (in a collective approach) is never to downgrade indian society yet to the contrary, there is far greater than what it is as a whole...The movie in my views suggest the delicate subject of love and trust, betrayal & discontentment...Freedom and braveness...Truth & iNJUSTICE...among only the very little and few spices I catch up with the movie.
To my standing, I urge everyone to appreciate the likeliness of the movie perse and the wisdom it brings to the majority.
The social stigma for us, facing the very reality on its existence maybe be very hurting. Could this be, because we are weak? Could this be because we are afraid to see the realms of poverty? Or could this be an insentivity (rising in the inner part of ourselves) that we can do little or NOTHING at all attitude?
Somehow, that movie is never meant to degrade BUT to upgrade the sensitivities of our human nature to act and be a change agent for the rest of those who are in need...
To you Mr. Dinesh, you made the word fully understood in the very simple statement...Thank you for inviting..!!!
From Saudi Arabia
Hi Arun,
Don't look a film with an objective to criticize. The film deserves all the awards as per the film making standards. The groups who are much concerned should work towards on eradicating child labor, child molestation, etc rather than criticizing.. patriotism in a different way.????
Danny boyle has selected the subject to show how an underdog became an millionaire.The screenplay is natural...Since the main protagonist lives in slum, he has exhibited the slum in close reality.. I guess the film is not an intention to project the slums to the western world..
Rgds,
Ananda Natarajan.
From India, Madras
Don't look a film with an objective to criticize. The film deserves all the awards as per the film making standards. The groups who are much concerned should work towards on eradicating child labor, child molestation, etc rather than criticizing.. patriotism in a different way.????
Danny boyle has selected the subject to show how an underdog became an millionaire.The screenplay is natural...Since the main protagonist lives in slum, he has exhibited the slum in close reality.. I guess the film is not an intention to project the slums to the western world..
Rgds,
Ananda Natarajan.
From India, Madras
Dear All,
There is no doubt that Slumdog Millionaire is good movie. It deserve the prize which it got. I agree that there is biasesnes towards Indians and otherdevloping countries at all levels of oscar. But criticizing movie becoz it show us mirror is not fair. Whether slums are only in india or in every country. It is not a question?
Problem is that after more then 60 yrs of independence we are still struggling with poverty and slum. Government and we people of india doing nothing to solve this puzzle, we try to hide it or ignore it and when someone show us true picture we make high and cry.
If amit ji is show much hurt after watching slumdog then why he had taken part in movie. Bollywood movies are no where near to realty. They only make high-fi movies which do not depict the problems of common man.
It is a shame for Bollywood directors,producers and all industry that they miss the train. Outsiders came and show us the picture and our bollywood was sleeping, yet sleeping and criticizing others.
White Eagle
White Eagle
From India, Hyderabad
There is no doubt that Slumdog Millionaire is good movie. It deserve the prize which it got. I agree that there is biasesnes towards Indians and otherdevloping countries at all levels of oscar. But criticizing movie becoz it show us mirror is not fair. Whether slums are only in india or in every country. It is not a question?
Problem is that after more then 60 yrs of independence we are still struggling with poverty and slum. Government and we people of india doing nothing to solve this puzzle, we try to hide it or ignore it and when someone show us true picture we make high and cry.
If amit ji is show much hurt after watching slumdog then why he had taken part in movie. Bollywood movies are no where near to realty. They only make high-fi movies which do not depict the problems of common man.
It is a shame for Bollywood directors,producers and all industry that they miss the train. Outsiders came and show us the picture and our bollywood was sleeping, yet sleeping and criticizing others.
White Eagle
White Eagle
From India, Hyderabad
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