I think this is a great photo of the Slumdog family!
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9 years ago
- guardian.co.uk, Monday 23 February 2009 07.06 GMT
Embraced ... Danny Boyle with Rubina Ali, one of the child stars of Slumdog Millionaire, and one of the film's eight Oscars. Photograph: Chris Carlson/AP
India finally laid claim to Slumdog Millionaire – after weeks of controversy the country basked in the glory of the film's eight Oscars, the most of any movie this year, including the top prize of
News channels broadcasting live commentary of the Hollywood event called the presentation of the best film award – when Slumdog's vast cast and crew took to the dais – a "victory for India". Shown repeatedly was the clip of the movie's producer Christian Colson speaking of the "shared love of the extraordinary city of Mumbai".
Cameras shot celebrations erupting in the family homes of AR Rahman, the composer who took home two golden statuettes, and Resul Pookutty, the Bollywood sound engineer who was part of the winning sound mixing team.
The star for India was definitely Rahman, known as the Mozart of Madras, who picked up the Oscar for best original score before scooping the best song award moments later.
He thrilled the home audience by speaking in his native Tamil, closing his second acceptance speech with the evocation: "God is great." His sister, Rehana, told Indian television that "we won't lose Rahman to Hollywood … he belongs to everyone but he's Indian".
The film's use of Indian actors and the country's landscape produced a welter of stories in the national press, ranging from fascination with the rapid ascent of Mumbai model Freida Pinto to the pages of Vogue; the controversy over whether child actors from the slums had been paid enough; and even the bad Hindi spoken by British Asian actor Dev Patel.
There was almost universal praise for Slumdog Millionaire's director Danny Boyle for choosing to capture, in the words of Bollywood lyricist Gulzar, "the spirit of Mumbai". "I am thrilled and happy ... Danny and Rahman helped to capture the spirit of this city," said the songwriter who penned the lyrics of Slumdog's winning song, Jai Ho.
A debate raged before the awards about whether the film could be described as authentically Indian. Film-maker Boyle, who won for best director and was previously best known for the frenetically bleak Trainspotting, is British. So is Simon Beaufoy, who won an Oscar for adapting the novel Q&A by Indian writer and diplomat Vikas Swarup.
But Mahesh Manjrekar, an actor who plays a gangster in the movie, told Indian television after the awards that "[Slumdog] is beautifully shot and it's an understanding film. Actually it's a Hindi movie shot in the English language. Danny is an Indian guy disguised as a Britisher."
The euphoria saw tributes flood in from India's most prominent actors and film-makers. Anurag Kashyap, the current enfant terrible of Bollywood, told Times Now that it was time for "all of India to celebrate". The country's president and prime minister also congratulated the "Indian winners" at the Academy Awards.
The movie, a fairytale of a boy from the slums who wins both love and money on a TV game show, was criticised by some in India for purveying "poverty porn". Shilpa Shetty, a Bollywood actor who became a star in Britain after winning Celebrity Big Brother, told newspapers that she felt "that internationally recognised films focus more on our slums and poverty".
However, such sentiments appear to have disappeared in the dawn chorus of congratulation. Reengo, a film-maker from Kolkata, told NDTV that "the success will energise producers, actors and directors all over India. I loved the movie and all of Indian cinema will be celebrating".
India has actually provided the inspiration for two of this year's Oscar winners. US film-maker Megan Mylan won the best documentary short Oscar for Smile Pinki, which is in Hindi and focuses on the work of Dr Subodh Kumar Singh in north India, whose surgery treats poor children born with a cleft lip. The main character who provides the title of the film is Pinki Sonkar. The eight-year-old attended the Oscars ceremony, along with the child actors of Slumdog Millionaire.
