Slum Dog Millionaire is not a great film
I resisted myself from writing about this but unfortunately I couldn’t. Those who are excited about this film winning the oscars might know it themselves. Let me make one thing clear. I’m not a hater of this movie! I also liked the movie when I watched it. It had a different contemporary story line and of course, was a well taken movie. But there was literally nothing in the movie that deserved so much. What reality does the movie convey? Does Boyle think slums are only in India and not in UK? Are there no good things happening for the people in slums? Are communal tensions only in Indian slums? Does he think his country is free of racism? Then why the hell he chose India? Ok, let’s assume everything against India for the above. So, at least, was it a serious movie depicting these problems in India? No way! The reality or the seriousness just ends with the performance of street children in the movie and many indian movies have already done it better. The movie turned almost comic there after – right from mafia boss eating sandwich to the song-dance masala at the end. How is the movie really different from an average bollywood movie where love wins amidst problems? you’ve to be honest to understand it’s definitely not worth the hype that has been created. One simple reason the film has got so much recognition from the west is the fact that west just loves to see India as one big slum and whoever shows it like that will be awarded and rewarded. Rahman receives awards for this kind of a film when he has composed extra ordinary music for various films and albums. And he dedicates them for India 
Absolute disappointment is not the West seeing India as a slum, but we indians looking at it the same way! Let us just kill the habit of over hyping every thing that comes from the west!
What is not reality? Are slums in India not a reality? Why would you think it is in the film maker’s commercial interests to clarify to the user whether UK has slums or not? This in a movie that is based on a mumbai based rags-to-riches story.
As to how the west chooses to view India is a different matter. They are only hurting themselves by shielding themselves from the reality. I would think the Hollywood view of India is largely based off Indiana Jones’ temple of doom. Indians depicted as religious zealots eating bugs and snakes and its kind.. walking about in tantric trances and so on. India is different and the people who matter know that it is.
You have forgotten the theme of the movie.. the protagonist never loses faith and hope and crosses all the obstacles in life which eventually makes him a millionaire. The beauty of the movie is it doesn’t show someone suffering in poverty like hell as the usual movies show and portrays them from a different angle altogether. If you notice it carefully the protagonist and his brother are always busy counting ‘money’ in the movie.
There are many movies in Hollywood too which has picturised them americans as racists and showing the adversities they undergo in life.. eg. Pursuit of Happyness..
I regret that you have written the blog without considering and understanding many other things..
@Prashanth
I’m not against the points you’ve mentioned. I don’t want the film maker to clarify whether slums are in UK or not. I just tried to stress that the dirt is universal. Yes, real India has dirt and no doubt the movie has captured it in a good package of cinematography, music and direction. For that it can be accepted as a good movie and it deserves nothing more than that.
When there is no passion or emotional appeal aroused by the film against the dirt it shows, i just feel the whole movie is an attempt to woo the western audience by exploiting India. And if the awards are only for showing the dirt just because it is real, then many indian movies and directors have already done it! The movie you are talking about – did it claim “reality” on its depictions about india or indians? Or was it over hyped to get Oscars? And if you think reality is always rewarded, that is also not true. Even the film Gandhi had a real story.. very well taken movie.. But it didn’t win oscars. Why??
@Manivannan
That’s a westernized way of supporting the movie! Do you think what you have described is enough for a movie to win Oscars? For all your points, the movie can be described as ‘good’. The movie is good, different, but not great!
And Americans showing themselves as racists doesn’t mean we can follow or accept similar things! West cannot be the benchmark for us
Of course, you can consider and understand a million and one useless things with that ‘follow the west’ mentality!
Sriram, grow up! Life isn’t fair. If anyone told you that then they lied. The Oscar is not the ultimate achievement. Any award is merely meant to say that a contribution was outstanding. It is not to say that the contribution is the only outstanding piece of work.
Your argument is mainly flawed because you are not arguing for the film to be a bad one. You are merely “angry” at the film being awarded an Oscar.
I saw the movie this afternoon and, honestly, I could have done something better than watching Slumdog Millionaire. I think the movie is well made, the way the whole story is told is something new, I guess, but I really don’t think it deserved 8 OSCARS. But well, people in the US are such hypocrites. In simple words, they want to look good and pretend to be sympathetic: “Oh, poor Indian people”… come on! I’m really disgusted by that. Bottomline: Slumdog Millionaire didn’t live up to the hype.
@Anne, that’s exactly what I felt