Why India should be ashamed that Slumdog has done well.

Yes! if you are from india, chances are i think you should be ashamed with the success of slumdog millionare. Before you think that I am one of those people who is unhappy with the way 'India has been portrayed' let me make it clear that you are mistaken. I loved the movie, i thought it was charmingly simple and well made. The way poverty was depicted was 'real' as it shot on location rather than in sets. At some level the disturbing truth of poverty was easier to digest than trying to believe fancy designer clothing, imported cars, and private jets that so many other Indian movies embrace in their attempt to establish the reality of their story. Although it lacked complexity of character development of its peers (The Reader, Frost/Nixon, Curious Case) it was delightfully entertaining with a smart narrative.

My title for this post is due to the fact that I think the saddest thing about Indian cinema is its audience, and a sad audience allows for sad movies to become the norm. (by sad i mean bad).Which is why it takes someone from another country to read a book written by an Indian author to find that there is enough material within the cultural context of India to make such a movie. We will never know what other Indian directors might have done if they came across this book, but I have seen instances where books were thoroughly destroyed in their movie avatar by Indian directors. Most recent case in point that I can recall is the movie 'Saawariya', which in my opinion shows how absolutely pathetic every aspect film making can be in India. I am in danger of letting this become a post on why i hate most Indian films.. but ill save that for later.

So why do i think you should be ashamed? Considering that the underlying idea of the movie was from india, the reality of the story is in india (at the heart on india - poverty), much of cast were indian, I am left wondering how and why the movie turned out a lot differnt. Sure it was not made by indians, but I think the core reason for why it was made the way it was is because the film makers (read everyone involved in the making - not just the director) did NOT MAKE THIS MOVIE FOR THE INDIAN AUDIENCE. It was not made for you (if you are from india).

Continuing along this train of thought, I wondered what if movie makers and actors in india (who seem rather intelligent when they are not dancing around) made movies for the global or at least western audience? How would indian movies turn out to be? My guess is that they would be far more superior (think of bend it like beckham, the namesake) that the bullshit we see spewed out today. I think we have the technology to make smart movies we have great actors and directors but the worst audience. The indian audience appreciation of movies is analogous to teenage fascination with fake wrestling. Something as mindless as WWE exists as an escape for people, and indian movies exist as a form of escape. The next time you see one of those typical bollywood movies, remember you are displaying the same lack of sense as someone cheering wildly for "Triple H, or The Undertaker", and for that you should be ashamed. You are the reason why film making in india is the way it is. So instead of feeling happy that slumdog won many awards, or Rahman won awards you ought to wonder how many good movies you prevented from being conceived by pledging continued allegiance to the mind numbing rubbish that we call bollywood.