Slumdog Millionaire, Ah The Hype

"Been there, seen that"

Don't get me wrong, Slumdog Millionaire was well made. It's just that I left the theater feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

This excellent BBC article by Soutik Biswas articulates my exact sentiments about the film.

All I have to say is if you did watch Slumdog Millionaire and you don't understand the hype surrounding the film, read the article. It basically says all I wanted to say about the film.

Biswas mentions a bunch of other (more fulfilling but overlooked) films in this "gritty realist" genre and I'll add to this: Salaam Bombay!.

If you do happen to watch (or have watched) Slumdog Millionaire, be sure to watch Salaam Bombay! as well and you'll probably come round with a different opinion.

Still, not to sound patronizing, I guess on the plus side there's this.

Addendum: Okay, Slumdog took home the Oscar for best picture...Everyone seems to have an opinion about the film. While people hate it for all kinds of reasons (portrayal of Indian culture and/or slum life; Western filmmaker interpreting a culture he has no idea about; the actors' British accents; the implausibilty of a bathtub in a Bombay highrise, etc., etc., etc., etc.), I've realized that this film has become overanalyzed (while in reality, it doesn't really warrant or merit too much attention).

I've come to the conclusion that I really don't care too much about the social/cultural/economic/political/ethical (gasp) assumptions/tags that come with the film.

Basically, I still think the film was okay (not a great film or a masterpiece) and I'm going to end it here.