Jai Ho for Slumdog Millionaire at the Oscars

“It felt like an Indian movie awards function”
-Anil Kapoor

And why not?! Slumdog Millionaire – a movie that has an almost all-Indian cast and crew swept 8 awards of its 10 nominations at the Oscar night. It was a moment of pride for every Indian to see Rahman and Resul Pookutty walk the stage to receive their awards. It was heartwarming when Anil Kapoor, Dev Patel, Freida Pinto and the amazing child artists were up on the stage to accept the Best Picture Award, along with Danny Boyle. It was a night that belonged to Indian talent.

Yet the Indian audience’s opinion on Slumdog’s success is divided. While to many it’s a masterpiece, many others found the film to be nothing more than a feel-good movie. Though Slumdog tries to depict the morbid and dark side of life existing in India, yet its underlying theme of “from rags to riches” brings in an element of fantasy to the plot.
On the other hand, some opine, that there are many Indian films which are far better in their depiction of real India than the much praised Slumdog Millionaire.

For instance Parzania, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, A Wednesday – all present to you a slice of life from today’s India. Another film worth mentioning is Barah Aana, which I was lucky enough to watch at the Pune International Film Festival.

Barah Aana is a comedy of real life, set in today’s Mumbai. The story revolves around three unlikely friends - a driver (Naseeruddin Shah), a watchman (Vijay Raaz), and a waiter (Arjun Mathur) – who are pushed to their moral edge by the overwhelming inequality which they face every day, be it social or economic.

A gripping plot, dark comedy, high production values and great performances mark this 97 minutes flick. Naseeruddin Shah is a treat to watch. He doesn't speak through most of the movie, yet his presence fills up the screen. He conveys so much with his eyes and the way he moves. It's a subtle but powerful performance. And when he does speak, what a moment it creates! It’s perhaps one of his best performances ever. Though the film is yet to release in India, you can know more about the movie at http://barah-aana-the-film.blogspot.com/

Already Barah Aana has received a favourable response from the audience and the film critics at the Film Festivals. I only hope that on releasing too, it gets the same if not better accolades and reviews as Slumdog Millionaire. It’s a great year to celebrate talent; starting with AR Rahman and continuing to veterans like Naseerudin Shah for Barah Aana….Amen!