Jag-ho!

In these semi-anxious moments before the Oscar’s begin, I’m pondering over how tightly has the Slumdog spectacle gripped the entire world.

Being an Indian movie buff, born and raised in New Delhi, I consider myself to be in an adaquate position to start a fresh argument. That there’ve been better feature films this year than Slumdog Millionare.

Of course, I truly appreciate the authenticity with which the SM script deals with the entire plot, albeit with some fictional components. Overall, after watching Slumdog, I was impressed. However, a movie like Dev.D left me absolutely baffled and short of words. A modern Devdas adaptation that’s so refreshing and brilliantly done, with a super-impressive soundtrack! It’s the best piece of cinema I’ve seen in a while. I say this with a hint of sadness and a belief that Dev.D will probably never see the kind of publicity Slumdog did.

Update: The thought just crossed my mind, whatever happened to The Dark Knight?! Hmm. Well, I haven’t seen most other nominations including Milk to make a an informed comment. The good news: my list of movies to watch just got longer!

Update 2: While I was watching the Slumdog teasers on Oscars, I remembered the real reason why I really liked watching it. It was the unique style of story-telling which truly captivated me. Now that it’s won a total of 8 Oscars, I’m absolutely thrilled for the slumdog (note the small ‘s’) and it’s Indian connection. Jai ho! ;)