‘Slumdog Millionaire’ captivates localsNB’s Indian community shares reactions to Oscar winner

“Slumdog Millionaire” – the tale of a 18-year-old orphan who goes on India’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” in the hopes of finding his true love – left the Academy Awards with eight Oscars last week.
The film, based on Vikas Swarup’s novel “Q & A” spans Jamal Malik’s life with each question on the game show, depicting how a boy from the slums could possibly know the answers. Dharavi, the largest slum in Asia, is where two of the children in the film come from.
The movie took home Best Picture, Best Director, Best Song, Best Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing at the Academy Awards. Indian composer A.R. Rahman left the awards show as a winner for Best Score and Song.
Harish Naik, president of the Hudson County Indian Association and a North Bergen M.U.A. payroll clerk, said last week that he was impressed with the movie. He said Rahman did a “wonderful job” and that his “music touches the heart.”
Naik is originally from India and felt that the film depicted the country’s current struggles with poverty.
Sai Rao, the North Bergen Library director, said that the movie was “excellent,” but that some of its graphic scenes were hard to watch. Rao, originally from Southern India, read the book before going to see the movie.
Rao explained that “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” was a popular game show in northern India because of the possibility of “escaping” that it represents.
“That’s universal,” said Rao. “Even here we watch game shows, and [when] someone is doing very well, it’s a large audience.”
Naik agreed that the film had appeal for a larger audience then just Indians. He said that he’s talked to people of all walks of life about it.
“That movie touches all of the communities,” said Naik.

Children stars make movie

There was public outcry earlier this month when it was revealed that the child actors from Mumbai were still living in dismal conditions. One photo showed Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail sleeping on a makeshift mat. Now Boyle has said in published reports that properties will be purchased in a trust for the families of the children who helped the film gross more than $150 million. The trust will only be released after the children complete their education and turn 18.
“The movie is really good, and it’s reality,” said Naik. “It’s a real situation that we’re facing over there, the poor people in India; basically it’s a true story.”
While Rao and Naik both agreed that Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, who play the adult versions of Jamal and Latika, did a wonderful job, they said that the youngest actors made the movie.
Boyle cast children living in Mumbai to play the younger versions of the main characters.
“They we’re fabulous,” said Rao. “I was totally impressed by their acting skills. You [could] almost say it was a childhood picture. They couldn’t have done a better job picking the children and the teens.”
Naik said that the children helped the movie have the “whole package.”

Takes hard look at poverty

Naik said that the children in the film brought back memories of India and their need for help.
“When I go to India, I see those kids there asking for money and asking for food,” said Naik.
He said that while certain scenes were hard to watch, they illustrated the need to “support” those children by providing them with an education.

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“When I go to India, I see those kids there asking for money and asking for food.” – Harish Naik
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Even though the movie portrays dire straits for these children, he said that anyone who watches it will “feel a little better at the end” because of the hope Jamal’s journey represents.
Rao said that parts of the film pulled at her heart and that certain scenes depicting the slums in Mumbai were difficult to watch. She said that she understood parts of Mumbai are like that, but other sections were not as bad as the film would have you believe. She questioned why she took violent scenes of “Slumdog Millionaire” so hard.
“Some parts of the movie show areas that a normal [Bollywood] movie wouldn’t show,” said Rao.
Naik felt that the film did not capitalize on impoverished parts of India, but instead brought a harsh reality to light.

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