Slamming the SlumDOG!!!

Congrats to Danny Boyle and his team for making a movie like Slumdog Millionaire. We hope you get the Oscars too! Lately there has been a huge hue and cry of showing what our city is like in the movie.

It just takes one question to know what people are actually thinking about the movie. When you ask them, "Hey have you watched Slumdog....?" Before you can even complete your statement you will see a frown on the person's face who will then ask you bluntly, "They must have shown poverty, slums, etc...etc.." My only piece of advice to these so called 'Frowny Faces' is that - Dude you just cannot afford to run away from the reality that our city or rather the country as a whole is facing? And no Slumdog movie isn't about slums (rather thats just a background)- its a typical rags to riches story. Its a love story (and a genuine one!) - you feel sad yet happy when you see the movie (coz they have showed Mumbai which we have possibly been not exposed to in our day to day life - just heard of).

In fact Mr Amitabh Bachchan has been wrongly accused of Slamming the movie. For which he clarifies the same on his blog - http://bigb.bigadda.com/ where he has written a mail to the editor of The Guardian.

A story that is brilliantly shot, every technical aspect of the movie was great, the guys who have acted in are great. And yeah not to forget that Rehman has done a fantastic job. If you haven't heard Ringa Ringa song well you sure are missing something. Has the similar feel and sound to that of 'Choli ke Peeche'.

In todays Hindustan Times - there is an article on Slumdog - and I would like to quote Irrfan Khan, "The slums are a backdrop which you take away from the spirit of the city. It's not a backdrop Danny created. It's based on a book by an Indian writer. You can't say we are not poor. We have to accept and deal with the poverty." Well said!

By the way Slumdog's releasing this Friday (23rd Jan) - if you still think that Mumbai shouldn't have been projected as it has been then well my dear friend you seriously need a Reality Check!

Go watch it! And no Danny hasn't paid me to write all this - his movie is any ways receiving attention! Jai Ho! (his movie ends with this song and dance!)

Remakes or just 'Plain Bakwaas!'

RGV's Aag just released this friday on 31st July. And guess what each and every station spoke about how you should completely avoid going to watch this movie. The reason: though the storyline is similar to Sholay it definitely did not hit home. Forget hitting home, I think it didnt even enter the home! You should read some of the reviews...and no matter apna Ram Gopal Verma said that its not a remake then what in the God's name was this...it wasnt even a spoof.

I think the MTV guys did a good job of spoofing it with Thakur and Jai and Veeru...maybe Verma should take some ideas from the MTV people. To make matters worse, the guys who come out with pirated cds have also refused to make more than 50,000 pirated copies of the same.

In the world of remakes I think it is high time that film makers, directors or whoever it is in the damn film industry this is a request to you as a viewer we love the old story, the characters, everything. Please do not make an attempt to make it again by revamping not only the sets but also the whole character (just look at Amitabh and you know what I mean - I wonder what he must be feeling now)

We saw that for DON, now its RGV ki Aag, which got doused even before it started...and now we still have to wait for Karz...starring none other than apna Himesssh bhai...Gosh....I guess one way or the other this just gives movie writers all the more chance to say a lot more and not wind up their review by saying, "All in all good effort, A actor could have done better, B was excellent, blah blah..." and for them to write a review of Aag, they must be very happy to thrash out each and everyone in this movie.

Heaven help us when Karz or other remake arrives...may the Lord give us enough strength to go through the same :)