So History has been created on 23rd February. Danny Boyle and Co. have finally placed Mumbai and " aapun ka story" in the world map and world of Oscars.
Prima facie brings just a shrug and " so -what " expressions but just have a look at the following glaring statistics:
800: is the number of movies produced per year in Bollywood( Hindi mainstream) alone. Coupled with these is similar number of movies produced in 10 other regional languages ( and most of the times, its the regional languages movie which spearhead and direct the next stage of cinematic evolution/revolution of Bollywood).
600: The number of Hollywood movies made in year 2006, 2007 ..
1896 A.D: Is the suggested year in which Indian film Industry was started (with an Advertisement in Times of India for a play). This definitely doesnt help us in highlighting that we are amateurs in Enetertainment Industry.
1906 A.D : Los Angeles predates Hollywood in setting up a studio.
Can we claim that we had more movies per year and been there longer ? If so just compare the number of Oscars belonging to each camp.. Its Hillarious... Its Sad....
We have been ZERO all the while.. And what gives us an Entry point is a movie made by Danny Boyle.. Well I dont have shades of Xenophobia but just cant evade this :--->" The much awaited Oscar for an Indian movie, based in an Indian story of Indians depicting the Indian background, and Indian mindset, about an Indian Television show and its interaction with Indian juntaa in an very Indian ecosystem ( the starcast and crew were all Indians), goes to some one who is on tourist visa while in India".
So... are we Indians so much deprived of Creativity or is it the other way round, Creativity eludes us ? While I cant comment on behalf of a billion people, but yes could ponder on what made this movie guide Bollywood from ages of Darkness and unknown to the glitz.
so what makes Slumdog special? Is it the Actors ? Is it the Director ? Is it the musician ? Is it the banner in which it was sold ? Every logic gets beaten up here ..
But if one looks from the business point of view one gets startling answers
Is it because the target segment for the movie ? Is it because the lives it touched? Is it because of the content of story which touches a billion life hence the motivation for them to have a look at it? Yes, to some extent. May be Hollywood has realised later but better, that Slumdog has tapped the yet untapped but a huge customer segment. So we could see more videshiz coming 2 Indian cities and making lives about us than selling their livestories, their history to us. Brand India clicks.. but then again why doesnt a movie from shelves of Karan Johar or Chopra banner, staged in Switzerland with an Indian cast ( and most of the time its our beloved, national heart throb Regular Badshah and Shahenshah) and crew ( including A.R.Rahman)succeed? Is it more than Brand India ??
Also heard this from some quarters that there is definitely a shade of sadism, running in the viens of the Oscar haunting crowd, who want to see more of dirty side of poverty, of mis rule, of anarchy, of being in dark ages in some third world country... And when you look at that along with the acceptance of movies like Water, Bandit Queen, Lagaan, you are forced to contemplate and toe the same lines of thought.. well then this is dangerous but again an opportunity. Its thus ironical that Poverty is Richness...... Jai Ho..
