It is not necessary to fall in love with Slumdog Millionaire as an example of fine filmmaking to appreciate its significance as a bright ray of hope in a time of economic gloom as it won eight Oscars on Monday morning. That has indeed been the meaning of Oscar-winning films over the years.
The winning films are faithful barometers of the mood of the moment. In 2009, the Americans are groping for light and hope, and so is Britain, the junior partner of the Anglo-American alliance. Slumdog Millionaire provides us the sweet tale in the heaven of imagination woven from the pleasing cultural mix of a British film made with American funds based on an Indian story and with an Indian cast of characters and actors. Global art in a global mart!
Danny Boyle, the Irish-Catholic director -- his religious and ethnic origins matter over there though it does not matter a whit to us what the religion and caste of AR Rehman is -- has struck a gold mine of a story and plot in Vikas Swarup's surreal story which is so familiar and real to Indian film-viewers. Generations of the English, Irish and Scots have found and made their fortune in this fabulous land. It is not surprising that Boyle has too. The British have been lucky with India in the post-Raj era. Richard Attenborough stuck Oscars too with India's 'Gandhi' story in 1982. Twenty-seven years later, Boyle has tasted success with Slumdog. While Attenborough's was a swansong of the British empire on the big screen, Boyle celebrates India in the 21st century as an emerging market sizzling with energy and firing the imagination of the top dogs of the world..
So, we in India should not feel overwhelmed that a British film made on and in India has at last brought worldwide recognition to Indian film artists lurking in the shadows by getting those Oscars. It is nice to win them but we are not too enamoured of them, really. The Oscars are an American affair, and we have nothing against it. And we are happy to be part of the Oscar party. We are not averse to foreigners as others are. The Oscars do not take Indian films to a higher level as stated by some naïve folks in the industry and in the media. Indian cinema is not export-oriented. It is a fiercely domestic product, and its formulaic moulds can be used byothers to their own specifications. Slumdog Millionaire is a perfect example of how the Hindi film box-office formula was used by Boyle and screenplay writer Simon Beaufoy to conjure up a narrative that keeps millions in America and Britain enthralled. The film did not impress the Indian audiences except the few America-crazy folk here. But all Indians are happy for Boyle. And as for Rehman, we knew his genius. We are not surprised that others are discovering him now.
Indian films are a universe unto themselves and the Boyles of the world step into it, dazzled by its colours and passions. And this is just the beginning. More and more filmmakers are sure to turn to India to find their stories and make their mark. All that we need to do is to sit back and be generous and keep smiling. Rehman did it with understated panache in his Oscar acceptance speeches when he cited the throwaway Salim-Javed one-liner from Deewar, "I have mother with me" when he explained how he was sharing his moment of victory with her.The line has no resonance for the audience in the Kodak theatre in Los Angeles not for the millions of TV viewers in the United States and in Britain, but then he was not going to make any cultural concessions to them at his hour of victory. Similarly, he went back to his mother-tongue Tamil to indicate that everything is dedicated to God.
The sweet intoxication of Oscar success will linger like a sweet aroma a while longer. But we return to our own luxurious garden of the imagination, with its frenetic and gaudy atmosphere. Our dreams will continue to be made into films on the wheel of time. Foreigners are welcome to join in.
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