well, the story seems well researched, the costumes right, the settings perfect, the actors do justice to what has been assigned to them, they look their parts too, the music brings out the pathos, accentuates the horror of the characters’ experiences, Rahman Saab, you have been wonderful… the shots are neat, stylish too – and yet, I am afraid I couldn’t like Slumdog Millionaire as a movie.
I did not feel the excitement that I had felt with Shekhar Kapoor’s Elizabeth, that too a movie with a Director dealing with a foreign subject, foreign locale, actors. Or the way I felt with Matrix or Tarein Zameen Par or even Dil Chahta Hain or Rahul Bose’s Directorial debut Everybody Says Am Fine.
Of course I do not pretend to understand such things. I pay for my ticket and I watch with my heart mostly and eyes and I take some expectations along too that are predominantly to do with seeing a spectacle unfold on screen. I usually am quite willing to suspend my disbelief. I expect a tight story, fluently told, with racy pictures to go with it to aid my not so bright imagination. I mean am average, can only deal with routine gaps, but not quite capable of filling in huge chunks of the zigsaw missing and having to figure that out makes me lose my way in the spectacle. It is distracting.
I also fet that somewhere, it lacked “soul”. The films I mentioned are flawed too, they have nitpicked on these and everybody ignored Everybody Says-. Yet, you come away from the movie with a hand on your heart. The build-up ends with the much needed catharsis…
I would not have missed the film for anything. I do want the children to go watch it. Yet, I do not feel ok with it. There are these gaps in it that are disturbing. Something is simply missing… in this movie. I know all my blogmates would hate me for saying this, especially with the euphoria all around, but then those that love me, like me for my honesty. I have been honest. Could be am dumber than people think…
Rolling 
I liked the movie simply for the fact that it is entertaining. Thats what I expect of a movie when I go watch one 🙂
I liked it…probably because I wasnt searching for any deeper meaning to the movie. It made me nostalgic for India by showing me a side to India that I dont typically get to see in other movies. And for that, I liked it.
Odzer, Vee, thanks for sharing your views.
I just found some gaps in the story, distressing, for instance, how did they suddenly become so adept at speaking English? How did they end up at that hotel after the murder? etc 🙂
An honest review.
Ashraf, where have u been? Thanks
I guess what touches one in a movie has a lot to with the person, it’s subjective. I don’t mean the entertaining part…that’s another aspect. I mean, the soul bit. That’s important to me too, very important, for me to really connect with the movie. I confess that SM did touch my soul, but it need not touch someone else’s. It’s a very personal thing.
Nita, 🙂
Well, I did not quite get what you meant and why did you not like the movie till I read your reply to Odzer and Vagabond above. And then I see you are pinpointing few very basic unexplained things. (BTW, the English was used for the benefit of international audience and nothing else). There are hundreds of disbelieving loopholes in The Matrix, though it is one of my favourite movies of all times. The point is, if you see movies to find faults, you’ll find them aplenty, you see them for entertainment, you’ll get it from quite some movies, and Slumdog Millionaire is one of them.
That epilogue was perhaps not required, but I think I require to mention here that I am simply being honest about your post. 🙂
Ashes, I love movies and watch every single one that is released, do not watch movies to find faults, in fact am the rare breed that finds something worth salvaging even from movies that are really ‘balderdash’, so to speak (no movie really is totally that)…and I did say “I am willing to suspend my disbelief” and go along with ur loopholes…yet…good story telling is good story telling. And Slumdog certainly isn’t quite worth the attention it got.
I would rate something as Mainstream as Sholay over it anyday, or maybe Takshak – but it was useful to elicit your comment ensuring a visit – so I pronounce the S-Dog redeemed in a way- well done, SlumDog for keeping friends together, yoo-hoo!!!
I liked the movie very much for what it is and for what it is not!
Alok, hi welcome to my perch, yes, I know 🙂