Slumdog Millionaire

I have to admit that I am quite embarrassed by the excitement among the Indian community about the Slumdog Millionaire’s Oscar wins. Do we really have the right to feel any sense of pride about that movie? Agreed it was shot in Mumbai, and has a cast of Indian actors but what else would you expect in a movie about a boy from Indian slums – Regis hosting Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Angelina Jolie as the love interest, shot in Vancouver? The movie was written, produced and directed by British – they made the movie and hired Indians as appropriate. It was not an Indian creation. It shows the worst of India – the slums, exploitation of children, the filth and lack of proper sanitation facilities. I found the film quite depressing despite its happy ending.

The only silver lining was the win for A. R. Rahman's music. He is a talented musician and combines various genres with ease and always produces beautiful music. I was happy to see his talent getting wider recognition and reaching more people.