SM-8 oscars
Because “the heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of!” 
Slumdog Millionaire deserved a few Oscars only, in my humble opinion. But what the heck, I am delighted! 8 Oscars boy! Bhagwan jab deta hai chhapar phaad ke deta hai!
The power of human emotions can really overwhelm. It is a telltale sign that the ‘heart’ still calls the shots in a troubled and deteriorating world.
most debated post!
I bet the Government of India is thinking about India’s highest civilian award now- Bhart Ratna! It will soon rain official accolades on those who have made us proud (by shouldering the “burden of representation” among other things).
“There is enough religion to make us hate but not enough to make us love!” I hope Rahman, Resul and Gulzar saab’s Oscar(s) will do the needful here and send a message to religious zealots.
BTW, it is about time we Indians recognized foreign films. I hope hereafter we will not carp about our Bollywood and masala moives not being recognized by the West. We need to ask ourserlves, when did we award a Western film?!
Ciao!
Edited to add: I erred in writing a particular line here. Please see Ashish’s comment (#20) and my replies to it.
Also read New Indian Rope Trick by Heartcrossings.
I saw this movie a few days back, and just loved it… AR Rehman has made us proud with 2 oscars….
So now he is an ‘Oscar-winner’ music director… wow..
its about time the world starts seeing the indian film industry as not just the masala makers. we do have some great talent here, mostly not put to full use. or maybe not used corectly and colletively.
i’m really over the moon over this. more so because gulzar saab also get the oscar along with rehaman sir. it has to be greatest moment for gulzar fans like me. and i agree with u vikas rehman sir has given much better music but not overwhelmingly recognized. but have you heard the words from that song jai ho. i mean listen to them. gulzar saab is a true magician. i’m going to do a post on this on my blog shortly.
Blaise Pascal* in defence of Slumdog Millionaire! I think now I have seen it all.
*Le coeur a sais raisons, que la raison ne connait point.
I agree.. we should start a category and invite foreign films and award them.
Jai Ho!!!
whoa it won 8 oscars
celebration time………and now you see it might have probably shut those big mouths including that of elder Bachhan who had so much of problem with it
and a film called pinki something won too ….need to search for it
oh yes! that was the movie
thanks vikas for the lovely comments on my blog. i will surely look up at your friend’s blog. i will be doing a blog entry on smile pinki shortly since i am associated with a charitable cleft organization in kolkata. i have seen these childrfen being ostracized in society before operation and then after the operation how readily they are accepted into the fold. it is magic how a 45 minute surgery can tranform a child’s life.
Since when SM became Bollywood or Indian movie? It’s same thing which happened with Kalpana Chawala and Bobby Jindal. Indians are jumping up and down at thing which remotely relates to India (okay SM does more than remotely but still not BW or Indian movie) because it is getting recognition in the West. Colonial mentality dies hard.
vikas somehow your name got deleted from my followers list. if you have done it yourself then its ok, not an issue. but if it got deleted due to some problem in my blog can you please re add yourself. thank you.
Reason why SM win 8 Oscars :- because a director from west has shown what the real india is without hesitating , without caring…
This could have been done by an Indian Director ..but they only want to make films with sharukhs & aamirs…( which can surely get them filmfare but not oscar….
About A.R.Rehman …even if he gives his third best…he will be best of the best
Dude, personally I loved the movie, and I can’t give it anymore mind share. Its just a movie. BTW, talking of foreign movies, more than hollywood, watch European cinema, you’ll be surprised at the quality. I personally have a collection of more than 500 movies
Ha ha ha so for me SMD, was just another movies.
Looks like you have enabled comment threading too, it’s not so obvious on this blog as on mine I think.
As for Slumdog, whether it deserves the best picture award or not, I guess we are all happy!
So much have been said.. so simply – Jai Ho..!!!
Well now I have target in Mind.
BTW, it is about time we Indians recognized foreign films. I hope hereafter we will not carp about our Bollywood and masala moives not being recognized by the West. We need to ask ourserlves, when did we award a Western film?!
Ahh.. Come on! We harp on Indian movies not winning the Oscars because there is a Foreign category award in the Oscars. Not so in any awards of the Indian film industry. Besides, recognition of foreign films does take place every year in the Goa film festival.
Yes, irrespective of the fact that I didnt find SM exceptioanl , I was rooting for it, esp Rehman/Gulzar and Resul…I knw Rehman too has a better body of work, yet it felt good to see him recognised in the western world.
Presently, I am waiting for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” to release this Friday..
And right now.. I am off cheering for India..!! The match’s started!!!!
Hi Vikas,
I’d only happiness to share on hearing that such a thing happened, which should have happened long back. Better late than never, never could “they” the naysayers, the India-haters have stopped any further…
What a pity for the author, poor Vikas Swarup who just missed the limelight even after giving birth to such a masterpiece “Q and A”. Even the photograph I saw on the front page of TOI Patna edition had him got clicked from behind. I had to really go to net to confirm the guess that SM is the same book “Q and A” I read some four years back.
By the by, I had seen a movie “Traffic Signal” which also had similar theme, but not so well-made. Its dialogues are remarkable. It is hillarious.
Thanks
Nanda
http://ramblingnanda.blogspot.com
saw the film only yesterday thought it was excellent
I am curious as to what Indian awards international filmmakers would vie for! The filmfare awards? I don’t even know how they award the awards. What is the procedure for deciding who wins? There is absolutely no standards in Indian awards and hence people still look to the Academy and BAFTA.
The movie was good story telling, but I am amused at how people are so glad to see the west amused by our poverty and ridiculous state of living (if you can find anything good portrayed in that movie, please let me know; I totally fail to find one).
The answer to your question in title of this page “So why did SM win 8 Oscars?” is “because our poverty and our ‘slumdogs’ are quite some entertainment for the west!”
I very much concur with this post on the issue [ http://t3.dotgnu.info/blog/rants/the-slumdog-millions.html ]
and you, the author here, should care to give it a second thought!
OTOH, I am an artist and from the artistic point of view, it was excellent story telling and portrayal as I mentioned above!
Hey…. your blog is interesting. I like the way u’ve put up things. great going.
Why have you left out Resool Pookutty, who also won the Oskar for the same movie?
I went gaga over the movie when I had seen it! I still have it on record in the celluloid category on my blog.
Rahman rocks!
Very true Oorja! Rahman has given better music in the past but he was never so overwhelmingly recognized.
“Not used correctly and collectively” is a reason I will second. But it should all change now. Amen!
Yes, Gunmeen! I will also add Gulzar saab’s name in the post in a minute!
Yes, I have listened to the song; but I am going to do it again in a few minutes!
Do pay your tribute to them. I am looking forward to it.
And it should have been spelt ‘ses raisons’ not ‘sais raisons’. Freudian. Almost.
Thanks Shefaly! You really love quotations.
Thanks for the French version. Sometimes, nothing explains better than quotes!
Amen to that Vee!
Best Documentary, Short Subjects: Smile Pinki; Resul Pookutty is another winner (best achievement in sound/ SM)
three cheers to SM Harsh!
@Ashish
1. I agree SM is neither Bollywood nor an Indian film. There was a bit of problem with the way I wrote this line because I did it in a hurry and was really wondering later that it may convey a different meaning (but decided against editing it because it had already attracted quite a few comments by then). My line here “I hope hereafter we will not carp about our Bollywood and masala moives not being recognized by the West” seems to suggest that I have inferred that a Bollywood or Indian movie has been recognized at the Oscars today! I regret the error and will be more careful in writing in future. I will speak my mind on a few related aspects just the same.
2. There was a lot of hullabaloo against this film by the who’s who in India and how it depicts us in bad light and whatnot. They also said that films made by Indians are not recognized while those made by Westerners get the accolades! When I wrote “I hope hereafter we will not carp about our Bollywood and masala moives not being recognized by the West” I had these criticisms of the film in mind in that I wanted to suggest that Boyle made a great film unlike most of our Bollywood efforts and reaped the benefits. This film gave a lot of opportunity for Indian film makers for introspection and came quite close to suggesting us our shortcomings or issues/matters related to film making that had kept the Oscars away from us.
3. Colonial Mentality dies hard indeed! I do not harbour that mentality rest assured. I have always disliked the Indian tendency (I call it the TOI attitude) to grab everyone remotely Indian from Jhumpa to Manoj or Kalpana or Bobby!
4. All said and done, SM is a great film and has done lots to make India and the Indian issues known to the global public and media. I am delighted over the 8 Oscars (the icing on the cake is of course Gulzar saab’s and Rahaman’s and Resul’s oscars)! That it is made by a British and not an Indian or for that matter by Boyle and not Ghai does not have any significance for me. I am delighted irrespective of its genetic make up. I am concerned about the cause and not who gets the credit.
5. SM will be, I believe, an eye-opener for many Indian film makers and we may find Oscar-worthy films from Indians in future (this however, does not mean that our films -present or past- are not great without the Oscar tag).
6. I also sincerely hope that we will be more forthcoming in rewarding/recognising foreign films instead of only seeking one-sided favours from the West which is nothing short of pot calling the kettle black!
7. SM may not have India written all over it but it but it has India writ large on its forehead! That is reason enough to rejoice at the success of the film and I do not have any guilty feeling while I partake in the festivities.
8. Last but not the least, to use the popular Indian phrase, thank you for giving me the opportunity to explain myself. I have really erred in writing that line.
P.S.: I am formatting your comment and my replies to make it more prominent because you raised a pertinent issue and I want future visitors to read these portions.
Why is Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna a Bollywood film and Slumdog not?
How does one measure Indian-ness?
It’s an accident! I am your follower and will soon join you again.
I use Google reader and the feeds of blogs I follow automatically show in it. Few days ago I removed you from the ‘blogs I follow’ list and put you in my must-read folder list. I did not realize it will result in deletion!
Rest assured you are in my must read and friend list too!
Thanks for reminding. I have done this to few others too and they may be wondering about this!
That’s true Ron. That he is director from the West matters a lot and more importantly he did it in a way our Indian film makers could not have done without developing cold feet.
It is a lesson for popular actors of course.
SM was struggling for distributors and was even headed for a straight-to-DVD release!
A.R. Rahman rocks, needless to say!
You have a great movie blog!
Very relevant observation Solilo. I don’t know how one measures Indian-ness but it is about time it was thoroughly debated in the country; SM is doing just that.
I love foreign films Chirag! My movie collection is exactly double your size!
Yes! We are all happy!
And the comment nesting varies theme wise! It’s really not very obvious on this theme but yours works well!
Hehehe.. “Pinky something..” that’s a cute title too..
Thanks for the appreciation….just started this…hope to make it big…any suggestions would help a lot…
Here is my quick feedback on your blog:
1. Looks cool, clean, smart and tempting; loads fast!
2. Put an about and FAQ/ How-to page. You’ll of course do it later as the blog is still very new.
3. Upload a favicon.
4. The header title Movies Khazana would look better if the font size is bigger (and if possible a different font; also the font for search).
5. The pharase ‘back to movies khazana’ is not very relevant on the home page (bottom)!
6. The blog is not fully functional of course. The ‘featured articles’ does not have articles as yet.
7. http://onecoolsite.wordpress.com is a great site for all blogging help.
8. You may also read my guest post published on that site (though it will not be very relevant for you): http://vikas-gupta.in/2009/02/13/omg-my-blogging-tips-published-on-one-cool-site-and-about-a-good-woman/
9. Join Blogcatalog and make friends. Read more on Blogcatalog on one cool site.
Thanks Ambika! Jai Ho!
And yes Smile Pinki is a cute name; very touching story!
Exactly Vikas
My question was to Ashish since he raised that point. If he replies I think we can discuss it further.
Many films like even Dostana was entirely shot in Florida and it still is a Hindi film whereas a film which was shot in Mumbai is still considered a ‘gora’s’ film.
Why are we so insecure?
Ashish usually follows comments Solilo but he has missed this one. He is a friend but I still don’t wan’t to nudge him on this.
Let’s hope he sees your comments and joins the debate.
Kinda agree with you but our desire for recognition is disproportionately overwhelming! Not only Goa but a few others too (can’t recall names presently) do reward foreign films. You may want to read my elaborate replies to Ashish comments above. And it is high time we also created a foreign film category in Filmfare and every other award. One freudian slip in writing has landed me so many comments; I later even added a P.S. to it. Thanks.
Thanks …i will try to impliment what you have suggested….
This is now my most debated post Poonam and most commented one! I’ll be very careful with writing in future and elaborate my points as far as possible in the original post only.
We should of course be glad for all the recognition. I wonder why many people are not happy! Yesterday, I left a comment arguing for SM and one guy left such vitriolic comments accusing me of forcing my POV! I left a 1500 word reply to that caustic comment! I am cautious in writing or commenting now.
Yeah the match has started and two wickets have fallen! Gambhir and Sehwag can join me here and read my blog now!
I knew exactly what you meant by that line when reading your post, for what it’s worth : )
you are a wise woman melancholymylove!
Thank you Mr. Nanda for your comments. Your comment again went to the spam queue! I am writing to the WordPress guys.
Better late than never, you put it so well!
Vikas didn’t get as much credit or limelight or flashbulbs! I am glad to know you liked the book; I have not read the book but people had mixed views on it!
I am yet to see traffic signal! Many vouch for it; I’ll watch it after some months (not watching movies presently).
It was an excellent film Tim!
Hello Depressed Doormat,
Very valid observations and something which many ignore! The Indian awards like Filmfare are not transparent at all! Also I read recently read that Resul Pookutty was not even invited by the Filmfare!
Dear Mr. Kamal,
Thank you for the comment. This is a delayed reply thanks to lack of time. I did visit the link you suggested; thanks for mentioning it. Perhaps the most damning indictment of the film is by Salman Rushdie; hope you read that too. I have given a link to an article by Heartcrossings and she mentions the Salman critique; feel free to visit it.
I cannot debate with you on this thanks to lack of time. In a nutshell, the West has portrayed their poverty and bankruptcy in more films than us! Besides, many Bollywood films also portrayed immense poverty in the past too!
Thanks for the visit and the comment. I did visit your blog too but due to lack of time I could not leave a comment.
Hi Vikas,
May be I digressed. You are talking about the film and the Oscars while I had some issues on top of my head that influenced my comment. Thanks for the lead, I will read that. But I still don’t understand all the fuss about Oscars. Just hope its worth all the fuss, hope it brings an issue out in the open – yet again – and changes the way things are, for the better. So, am I dreaming? Anyway..
Nice posts. Keep posting.
Thanks Kamal. Will surely visit your blog(s) when free.
Thank you Yojana. I also visited your blog and left comments.
You are right. I did regret the error but chose not to edit it. You can see that I have mentioned Resul later twice in the comments including the fact that he was not even invited by Filmfare awards! I read his interview in the Hindu; nice simple guy. He said nobody except Amitabh had called him to complement for the Oscar.