Slumdog Millionaire : An Indian tale about Love, destiny and Karma for West
Tulsidas, with respect to love between Rama and Sita, writes in Ramcharit Manas
Jehi ke jehi par satya sanehu
So tahi milenhi nahin kachu sandehu
An approximate translation :
If one truly loves something
There is no doubt that one gets it.
Few things are pre-decided. Seed decides the fate of the crop. Few manipulations can be done but fate can never be changed entirely. If we know in advance then we can be selective about our decisions and can opt less risky or more beneficial path, but this is also true that no path is free from troubles and problems. Every path has its flavour. A person has certain possibilities but code of these possibilities is hidden in his/her seed. His very existence is based on something special. S/he can try to become like someone whole her/his life but that’s nothing more than a deviation from her/his true self. Its merely acting. We hanker after things available to others because market controls our lives. Misfit is the word which represents most the people of present era on earth. People are generally misfit in whatever they are doing because they are not following their inner desire. They are not evolving in that direction for which they had taken birth. Circumstances are moulding them because poverty is there and resources are less in number on earth and all people can not enjoy them equally.
This area is good for job in present time, so people start sending their kids to study that area. They are not wrong either. They love their kids and don’t want to see them suffering from poverty.
People get education from schools and colleges and universities and degrees are taken and they get a permanent seal of being educated. Now in general they are not supposed to have a need to attend school though some may do short term courses to increase their knowledge in some area.
Above all schools there is a school which travels all the time with every person. In this school, life plays all the roles. Life provides the premises, education, lessons, awards and punishment through this school.
A person may not know how to write his name but he can be a wise man. People in different countries and places speak different languages and languages are mere tools to communicate and present thoughts in a coherent manner but they are not the end. A person not knowing German, French, English, Hindi, Tamil Telugu, Russian etc may still be a wise person and may be more wiser than the people knowing mentioned (and not mentioned) languages.
Life has its own language. It does not need words to travel. It does not differentiate between a blind, lame, deaf, dumb or a person suffering from any kind of physical inability.
Samay se pehle aur bhagya se jyada kisi ko kuch nahin milta.
Nobody gets before time and more than his fate. There is a suitable time for everything to happen.
This is true also. A reaction may be swift but it still registers some digits on time scale. We may not see that recording and we call it instant reaction but it has taken some time to happen.
May be time of its happening was less than the time we take in blinking our eyes.
Its said when time is good then everything falls at right place. Hardly anybody expected some time back that Barak Obama who has been hitherto an unknown politician would become President of US of A. It’s a proof of role of destiny in the life of human being. One may ridicule the theory. Of course Obama needed to work hard but if it was not in his destiny to become President then all his hard work could have landed him at a barren land.
One astrologer had declared in 1979-80 only about premature death of Sanjay Gandhi and he had told about the date on which Chandrashekhar would become PM of India. A decade later Late Chandra Shekhara took oath on same day as told by that astrologer.
Not that human life is prisoner of pre decided things. But certain things are there which can not be changed no matter how much science may enjoy developments. Life can be prolonged but death can not be avoided. Physical body has to die.
Things can be quoted from Indian philosophy but there is a simple tale from Arabic world to serve this purpose. There is an anecdote about Prophet Mohammad and his disciple Ali.
Once Ali asked him,” Gurudev, as a humanbeing what is my freedom. Am I slave to my destiny or fate? Am I completely dependent on fate? If its true then what is the use to do efforts as I will get what is destined for me and I can never get things which are not decided for me. And If there is no role of fate in the life of man and there is no control of some power then why so much stress on following right karmas. What is the difference between a right and wrong karma then?”
Prophet smiled and he ordered him,”Ali, lift one of you leg and stand on one foot only”.
Ali was astonished to hear this but he followed the sayings of his Guru and stood on his left foot only and lifted the right foot.
He saw towards prophet who was looking at him.
Prophet said,” Now lift your left foot also”.
Ali,”What are you saying Gurudev. How I can lift my left foot now. I will fall down”.
Prophet,” Ali, that’s the answer to your question. You have freedom to decide which foot you want to lift first but after lifting either of the foot you don’t have freedom to lift another foot as now your Karmas will decide your destiny. Whatever you do, it will bring you suitable results. Wrong deeds will bring wrong results. A person can be hungry but if he decides to steal the money or bread to appease his hunger then he has taken steps towards crime. Human being has to decide from a conscious mind”.
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One has not still watched SM? You may still read further. There are no such things as spoilers in a love story or social film. More one reads and hears and more one can enjoy. Spoiler’s touchiness should be spared for mystery thrillers only.
Slumdog Millionaire tries to touch, though very superficially, Indian philosophy about Love, destiny and Karma.
Jamaal loves Latika since childhood and he loses her and finds her but she is again taken away from him by his own elder brother. He has not lost hopes and his affection and love has not been diminished after many years also and he believes that he will meet her. He meets her and finally gets her. He does efforts and gets her.
Relationship among human beings is a complex thing. There can always be few facts than seen by eyes or heard by ears.
Salim is a selfish person and who does not mind selling pride possession of his younger brother Jamaal. Jamaal gets autographs of Amitabh Bachchan, his cine idol and Salim steals it and sells to watch a film.
But he saves Jamaal from the world of Mamon, the criminal who controls the lives of children pushed into the beggar world.
He does not like leaving a good life at Agra but he comes back to Bombay with Jamaal and helps him again to get Latika. But now he is a teen ager and his physical desires are more powerful than his affection towards Jamaal and he takes away Latika from Jamaal.
Both Jamaal and Salim are children of same parents but Salim is oriented towards crime since beginning. Jamaal also does illegal works but to survive in this cruel world but Salim enters into the criminal world to enjoy the power and money.
They are brothers but they have different fate at a given time. But that feeling about being brothers is never lost. Salim has cheated Jamaal and Jamaal says that he will never forgive Salim but its an emotional thing and not a legal resolution. Salim feels this that he has done wrong towards his own brother. Jamaal finds him offering prayers and asking God to forgive him for his wrong deeds.
But Karmas have to work. He opted easy routes of crime and lived with comfort for some years while Jamaal lived a struggling life but in the end, Jamaal gets the money and the woman and her love and Salim dies lying in a bath tub filled with currency notes.
On an average West suffers from depression. Their joys are dependent on Holidays, materialistic things and philosophy has less or no place in day to day life. They understand machines better than human emotions.
On an average people are wounded inside because of broken families, divorces, multiple partners in a life time hence love has different definitions there. Money is there but it has not developed any philosophy useful in the times when one is depressed inspite of having all the facilities. West is poor in this term. When things are not available then people think they will get money and everything will be fine. Some light films come and people cheer them.
Body needs food but mind also needs food and this food comes through the thoughts and philosophy provides ingredients necessary to keep brain and mind healthy, of average people living ordinary life and who are not sages.
Slumdog Millionairs takes a route which could be said as combination of Mira Nair’s two films Salaam Bombay and Monsoon Wedding. Flavours of these two films could be found in the film.
People living under the edge can still enjoy the life and can celebrate it.
Rahman’s music wonderfully provides a strong support to maintain and uplift the mood of the film as per the need and it will not be an exaggeration that his music is the most wonderful aspect of the film.
SM supports the idea of old hindi films that a good music can bring required tempo to allure the audience to watch the film.
How Rahman’s music is the basic soul of the film can be seen between the portions of the film shown before first song appears in the film. Starting of the film is quite an average type but real film starts as soon as kids are shown playing on the runway of the airport and policemen run them away.
People react differently in West. Westerners can be seen easily making faces while doing conversation while this will not be seen in India and people make faces with their pets or kids. One can not imagine PM of India making faces while giving a speech but west will not mind seeing Bush doing so.
This difference lies in the way of acting opted by Indian and Western actors. At times for Indians, western actors may look like underplaying a character and for Westerners Indian actors may look loud but actors of both the sectors are following their sensitivity and sensibilities conditioned since childhood.
Once an audience watches enough films from both the sides he learns to normalize his expectations from individual sector.
Same way directors from both the sides think and behave and take work from their actors differently and at times very good actors of one sector may look misfit when they work in other sector.
SM, by chance handles three generation of actors performing the characters. Its difficult to mould small kids into a defined pattern as devised and/or decided by a director and often director can be at the mercy of the small kids and he and his cameraman, both have to be alert to capture them at right moment.
Kids have animated faces and here also one can find difference between kids playing childhood of Jamaal and Dev Patel who has played a young Jamaal. The first kid is truly a revelation and he is quite a natural performer and best among any child actor emerged in Hindi cinema in recent years. He surpassed every other child actor.
Boy is a charmer. Whenever he appears on the screen, film takes a jump upwards. Even when he appears in the last song, Jai Ho, he brings different level of energy and performance to the film on screen.
He is die hard fan of Amitabh Bachchan and when in the last Danny Boyle shows his still of running, imitating Amitabh Bachchan’s running in Don, he makes the last seal on the approval on his charming and authentic performance.Remarkable continuity this small kid has maintained.
Awards will be given to Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Danny Boyle and his team and perhaps these wonderful kids will remain in background but honest opinions about the film will always applaud their contribution. They, camerawork and the music of Rahman rest on the top floor of the building of Slumdog Millionaire.
Transformation from first actor to third actor for all the three characters, Jamaal, Salim and Latika is a thing to watch.
Small kids are more free and independent in their performances and thus more natural and as soon as bit elder actors are used their gestures start becoming controlled by director.
Danny Boyle has landed on the ground of an Indian tale along with his proven skills. He had raw material and he wanted to make a product for west. He has applied his parameters to get the product suitable for west. One product can not satisfy all the audiences. If it was made by an Indian director then it was doubtful if west would have approved the take on the same subject.
Because of this selectivity many people will have reservation about the film. Film as a whole product may not appeal to many people and they will like it in portions only. All people can not like it because it has bigger flaws in its very existence.
Cinema is Western art form and inspite of a need for the variety Western audiences have not accepted films following independent format.
Danny Boyle becomes a local tailor for them, who has prepared a designer dress for them. It’s a fusion. His script writer has cleverly converted the lead character into a muslim character. It appeals in a changed socio-political scenario of the world.
Jamaal’s childhood is ruined by Hindu muslim riots but after that his muslim identity has never been recognised or pointed out. Film conveniently keeps confusion about religious identity of Latika. Because these micro details will not bother western audiences as they dont know the background.
Its not a social film. Its about events happened in a character’s life. Danny Boyle has maintained a pace but it’s the weakness of his film that still it drags at times especially in the interrogation scenes or scenes with Javed Khan the gangster.
Its not going into the depth also and if one is watching it carefully he can feel this thing when Middle Jamaal and Latika are lying on bed in the hotel and talking about their love and past years etc.
Writer and director has chosen this superficial way only. He wanted to make a formula kind of film and he made it.
All factors like wounded economy all over the world, depressing social and political situations almost all over the world, terroristic attack on Bombay Aka Mumbai and changing image of India on the world’s social, economical and political map et al, provide a fertile atmosphere for Slumdog Millionaire to flourish.
We are not living in an era of East India Company and though Robert Clives, still be there but times have changed. Hollywood can not eat Hindi and Indian cinema. It can collaborate with Indian cinema to earn more revenue from India also.
India was never poor in terms of stories but if there is a market for Indian stories then cinema can not remain untouched.
Good Indian films have never been following a monotonous path and present life in totality and hence stress has been given more on human emotions and an idea filled with some kind of philosophy has always been present in the good Indian films.
If West has not recognised these things till now then it has been their loss. There can not be conceived a Utopia that a single SM will change the treatment of Western audiences towards Indian films.
Will they be more open towards Indian films now? We will see. Younger generation, in many Western countries, is already loving the song and dance parts of Indian films. But still they are in confusion whether to love Indian films completely, as they are or they should continue making jokes about their songs and dances sequences whenever films are discussed and dance on the songs when celebrating among friends.
What SM does in near future will be known to all. Will we see Indian actors in good roles in forthcoming films of Danny Boyle? Will he opt such subjects?
Till then we can say Danny Boyle came, stayed in Bombay, made his film and exported the film to the West.
Hopefully they would release a more Indianised version to lure more and more Indian audiences and earn maximum possible profit.
Hopefully Zari wala shamiyana and neela asman will be available in India for slum kids. If not now some time in the future. Hope is the major source of energy for poor people and they live with hope that their life will be changed some day.
Tags: Ali, Amitabh Bachchan, Danny Boyle, dev patel, Prophet Mohammad, Ramcharit manas, Slumdog Millionaire, Tulsidas, World Cinema
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
I completely agree with u….the ‘actor’ kids, camera work & music will be on the top floor for this movie…..we will see what destiny has in store for Indian cinema post Slumdog Millionaire…
@Narendra Bendi,
Kuch to achcha hoga hee.
Long live the HOPE
@Chets (2),
Thanks for your kind comment.
the way the small jamaal says amitabacchan in one word is amazing
wonderful article…….I ranted in my comments on the other post ,will keep myself to three lines here [:)]
Who are you?
Only you could have written these two polar opposites on SDM. Loved both the articles. I personally enjoyed slumdog but I do feel had it had been made by an Indian director, it would have not gotten this coverage. The movie is fun but is nothing but typical masala bollywood including all usual mistakes. I am very happy for Rahman, and I think cinemtography was excellent. The script was very weak. I saw movie with all western audience and their was good round of applause at the end. Few westerners in my office also loved it. But the only reason I could think is their non familarity with masala Bollywood.
Thanks for the two wonderful articles. I will archive them to learn the art of objective viewing and writing. Chai anytime?
Its not relevent whether Danny Boyle made an exportable version of Indian Cinema. The question is whether we see something importable from the film.
I think that the biggest lesson from SDM for us is that main stream entertaining films need not necessarily be escapist. You can show the slums and the poverty and the suffering and still make a warm gripping drama that is commercially successful provided you know how to write a clever screenplay. How many released Hindi movies in the last one year has been not about the filthy rich?
Dance bars, Big bungalows, foreign locations, cruisers, race courses… the scenarios in our cinema has become ruthlessly bizarre. It doesn’t represent India.
@cinosh,
Amitabachan, was the usual pronunciation for many in the 80s, especially for kids as his full name was so long and kids dont know when to take pause. Even many old people could be found pronouncing his name in this manner only. use of simply Amitabh or AB or Big B is 90s event.
@Vineet,
Thanks for your kind comment.
@Badmash,
Thanks for your kind comment. Chai? A good, Ginger one works most of the time.
If we see in different segments, liked Cinematography, music, kids and smooth editing. But overall film leaves with half satisfaction because of its shortcomings.
Just in morning I read, Danny Boyle will make film/s in Bombay. Perhaps a thriller in the begining.
I am curious to see his fusion with super stars. No wonder if some super star pulls him then an interesting scenario will be generated.
I am missing Koffee with Karan right this moment.
If he had come as a guest there then situations would have been interesting to see.
Because of SM, one of his connection is Anil Kapur also and Anil Kapur represents commercial face of Hindi cinema.
Lets see how things materialize in near future.
Interesting time.
@scriptlarva,
Nothing is irrelevant. Lessons can always be learnt from good things. But it can not happen that people start imitating SM. and it should not.
I dont think a SM would bother successful banners of Hindi cinema. Target audiences are different so raw material has to be different. But surely whatever is good can be adopted.
We will have to wait and watch. Danny B has to make films in Bombay. He has no conflict with big banners but his presence may affect the future of new directors dying to do something different. Its a little fear because there is always a space and work for those who know how to do but SM is not that refined product that it may teach to everybody in every department.
Everybody can not afford ARR and his music. He can not take out so much time.
New directors have less funds. There have been many films in the past which made wave in other countries but that did not affect local films and filmmakers.
When they can not learn from master directors present in the country then how we can keep hope that scenario will be changed because of a SM?
RK
Very interesting article.
Like you I enjoyed the kids performance completely. It was the definition of magic on screen for me.
@Mainak,
Thanks.
Harbour road pe bangla kabhi to hoga kisi Jamaal aur Latika ka.
nice part.
My tribute to Slumdog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EM9rnHJBvQ&feature=channel_page