I have seen the movie the week before the Oscar night, last week it has won eight Oscars. It is an ok movie. Now I know why Nayagan, Hey Ram, Devar Magan, Lagan or a score of other deserving Indian movies did not win Oscar.
The India that was seen as a 'land of snake charmers' is a thing of the past. The western tourists who had been hoodwinked by the age-old documentaries and no-brainer Hollywood movies that projected an India that was steaming with snake charmers and elephants had been disillusioned by their visits. How often do you see a snake charmer at the road side or an elephant rubbing your back?
The Hollywood needs a new identity for India. A land of ancient structures? No! They have got Egypt for that! A land of IT (Information Technology) engineers? May be! But they have got their own IT engineers. A fast growing economy? Yeah! But China, though they don’t like them much, is a more compelling option! A land of dark miseries and slums? Bang on! That would be appealing. At one side we have IT and BPO companies thriving and you step out of the office, you have slums and people living on the pavements! A country of many such contrasts! It is not only the Oscar that has fallen in love with the Indian slums. So are Booker Prize, BAFTA and Golden Globe.
So Mr. Kamal, Mr. Amir, want an Oscar? Go to the slums and whip up the sentiments and make the Pinkies smile. Jai ho!
Related: http://mottaimaadi.blogspot.com/2009/01/white-tiger-by-aravind-adiga.html
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