I’m sorry, what was the bloody for this hype for?
There’s absolutely nothing new in this film. It’s the same garbage type of film that we’ve seen in the 80s and early 90s. In fact, it’s like a Shankar type plot with a Mani Ratnam flashbacks thrown in. Toss in a couple of Balachander/Yash Chopra scenes and Anil Sharma’s Gadar-esque scenes and presto, there’s your flick.
The child actors were passable. Itportrays India in a very negative way, which got my very pissed off.Okay, I agree, India has a huge poverty level but not to a level whereit encompasses the higher middle class.
Aside from a passable’’Jai Ho’’, Rahman doesn’t gel his jarring music well here. He’s madehis money now and he’s lost that melodious touch that we usualassociate with ARR’s past films. Because there’s his old pal, Blaazemuttering some rap phrases, he gets a golden globe. Why? Cause Rap isthe in-thing now.
Acting wise? I guess Anil Kapoor trying to dig at Jamal Malik was probably the saving grace of the film. Irrfan Khan, Saurabh Shukla, and the rest of the cast just hamm it up. Basically, the rest of the film is like a "dubbed/translated" hindi film. Don’t bother asking about the subtitles because for adding in the comic bubble effect over it gives it a fact that "Royal Film Company"(The folks behind dubbing old Tamil and Telugu films into Hindi) inspired Boyle to pimp up his amateur flick.
And A.R Rahman’s music? I hear only sound? Why the constant "yahs and oohs?" These days, it common for him to give sound and no track, so I guess if you’re used to his music, you pretty much need help. After 2000, he stopping giving "music" and clearly, his protege, Harris Jayaraj has taken his golden years and spreads it out, just like his chartbusters hits. Clearly, the maestro is running out of steam and it shows. ManiRatnam’s Raavan/Ashokavanam better bring him back to form(don’t bothermentioning Shankar’s Moothiran [Enthiran] to me, he gives mostly Soundthere and no track in his films anyways, Mani gives quality stuff.)
Oh and that whole "ARR got a golden globe for score= joy to India excuse doesn’t cut it here. The reason being is that a Velaikaran(white guy) made the film. Had it been an indian, they would’ve ignored it like trash and everything else. Case in point, Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par, the past Indian film nominations?
Avoid Slumdog at all costs. For a crossover film, it failed to be one. The best crossover film I’ve seen so far is Namesake.