Slumdog Millionnaire : An unabridged review
February 3, 2009 by iamthehighway
This is an extended review I posted on my family’s newsletter, i’m kinda in the sharing mode rite now so, I’m posting it here:
Notes: ABClan or Abu Bakar Clan is the name given to my family on my father’s side, starting from my grandfather and the subsequent generations.
Assalamualaikum and welcome to another randomly picked genre to glorify AbClan’s pages (another word for occupying space). Now this time, I’m not going to blab with some technical mumbo jumbo instead, I am opting to indulge on another one of my favorite past time: movies. This movie I’m reviewing is a bit personal to me, since it’s an embodiment of my entire experience back in the land of the Rajahs, reminding me of the “sweet” aroma of sandalwood, incense and a whole lot of unprotected armpits, the incredible land of India.
Slumdog Millionnaire: An ABClan Review.
Luckily for this movie, I didn’t read the book before I watched it, for if I did, it may have drained a lot of my enthusiasm from reading the so many positive reviews (Rotten Tomatoes gave it 94%, which is spectacular). The book which Slumdog (i just use this for short) was based on carried too much weight, too much getting out of focus like most Indian movies and to some extent too much fictioning of a story that it dilutes the basic idea of Slumdog – a love story woven from the fabrics of the lowlife to the highlife of India. However, since I watched this movie first, this movie did justice to the very disappointing curtain closing of 2008 box offices (apart from Dark Knight, Iron Man, and a few other gems that shall be unnamed :p ).
Watching Slumdog I can’t help but feeling a little bit nostalgic, because honestly, it is WSIWYG (What you see is what you get). I told my friends and the members of the Abdullah clan that THIS is what India looks like, inside out; its beauty, its majesty, its slums, its pride and its shame. And of course added with a little Indian love for the theatrics, this has India stamped all over… with a twist J. Fortunately though, the movie was anchored by two directors, Danny Boyle, a very much English moviemaker (see “28 Days Later”) and Loveleen Tandan, an upcoming Indian director to give this English spin on an Indian Tale, an Indian feel to it.. Wow, sounds Keling-y isn’t it haha.
Slumdog Millionnaire is a story about a young, uneducated boy from the absolute lowlife of India, retelling his journey into life that has brought him success in the most celebrated game show of all time, what else? “Who Wants to be A Millionaire?” (thus the namesake).Technically, the flow of the movie is simple, yet the way it is portrayed, is just superb, I have never felt this good about a movie for a loong long time. And just a warning to the uninitiated, if you’d see me and fellow Abdulah-clanners recollecting the story, burnt into our minds would be the very funny scene where Jamal Malik, the so called “hero” of this story willingly sacrificed his dignity and ehem.. sanitary just to get an autograph from his idol Amitabh Bachan. It is funny, sad, horror, and love all rolled into a neat package, brilliant, and I believe even if I spill all the beans spoiling you with all the details, its just not worth it, because, in the end, for this movie, it’s not about the story, its about the journey, and the people that brought the journey is absolutely mesmerizing, they are amazing actors, all of them, that’s why I can’t give any specifics because the characters, which comprises of several actors for each timeline, are the “actors” themselves.
For those who don’t like Bollywood moves, moi included, this is NOT a typical Indian movie, no songs no dances and no hero that can jump ten storeys high deflecting bullets from machine guns and ricocheting the bullets to kill 50 billion bad guys in one go. But for those who love the Indian theatricals, this is a chance to catch a glimpse to the other side of India that you guys probably have missed. But don’t worry, being truthful to the Indian spirit, they did manage to sneak in a little dance number just for you guys, so don’t leave the theater (or your DVD players for that matter) after the movie finishes.
“Arrey baba, Movie playing Hai, Chalo!”
© Pictures courtesy of Rotten Tometoes (http://www.rottentomatoes.com)
Here’s a sample OST by A.R. Rahman
