Slumdog, now a Billionaire !

So.. yesterday was oscar night. I seldom watch it completely, but yesterday I did... almost. I missed a couple of awards, and Ben Stiller's mockery of Joaquin Phoenix. On the whole, it was good, except for I hate all the hype and pompousness, and the artificiality in praising everyone on the red carpet. Whatever. I do feel disappointed with the fact that the only attire for men is a black tux. Mickey Rourke was a welcome change in white. If the physical world tends to be biased towards men, the fashion world is utterly biased towards... u guessed it.

Lets get down to the awards. Hugh Jackman put up a decent show. The opening was good. I wanted more from him, though. However, this is my first start to finish oscar night. So...

I have not watched most of the movies nominated, so I am not going to judge the results. Apparently, most of them were expected, even if it was not obvious. Nevertheless the excitement is super when someone wins an academy award. Hathaway is ofcorz talented, and was simple. So was Kate Winslet who broke the oscar jinx. Penn, son of a gun, is very very talented and certainly deserved it. I always appreciate people who can poke a little fun at themselves and have a good sincere laugh when others do it.

The biggest winner of the day was, undoubtedly, Slumdog Millionaire. By winning the oscars (as many as 8 out of 10 nominations), it won the hearts of a "Billion" people, and more. Yes, its not an indian movie. Yes, it was not made by an Indian. Yes, Yes, Yes. But, you cannot deny the fact that everyone associates the movie with India. A majority of the cast and crew is Indian. More importantly, everyone involved in the project now has a new love for Mother India. Her beauty, her diversity, her history and her hospitality. For the west, India is not anymore that mystic land of snake charmers and farmers, eventhough they are still there. Its a rapidly developing nation, with youth and innovation. 

It is very ironic that Indians are celebrating the success of a movie that depicts one of the evils of their society. It is true that the film shows the darker and murkier side of India, and one cannot brush it aside as lies... coz its not. Its the sad and unfortunate reality. But, in a way it serves a purpose. Makes us more aware of the harsh environment/treatment that some people have to put up with for the sake of "Survival". Whats even worse is that its the same story in a lot of developing countries. A lot of people choose to ignore that fact. Every society has its share of good and bad. We should embrace the good and work towards minimizing the bad.

Rahman derserves all the fame and recognition, eventhough it was not his best feat in music. Technically, I dont know. But soul stirring music - Roja, Bombay, Lagaan..  and may more were much better. Two oscars is a great personal achievement, and also for the nation. And it is very humbling to see such a talented guy say "Ella pugazhum iraivanuke" after accepting the award. His live performance was superb too. He mentioned his mother, his country and his mother tongue. Danny Boyle was terrific. All the SDM kids were excited and fantastic. I personally want to thank the producers and others who went out of their way to give those kids the experience of a lifetime, and in doing so may have the changed their and many others' lives.

For me, the best moment of the night was when Resul Pookutty won the oscar for Sound Mixing and said "I dedicate this award to my country. This is not just a sound award but a piece of history that has been handed over to me". Indeed !

Daffatan, Indeed !

I was browsing through the rediff website yesterday and saw that there was a review of the movie Delhi-6. Did not really read it, but got the gist of it. I think the title conveyed the message that it is a good follow up to Rang De Basanti. That excited me having been unaware of the theme/concept of the movie, and having seen RDB and liking it, very much ! So very unlike me off late, I immediately started looking for the theatres in which it is playing so I could buy the tickets online and surprise Sandhya and Madhavan. The first couple of websites did not have any NJ theatres (at least none close to our place). The inner voice in me said... "no way. Delhi-6 isnt playing in any theatre near my house ? impossible". So I looked for more and eventually found it. ha ha. 3 tickets for the 7pm show today. Done. I set an alarm in the cell for myself at 5:oopm today to make sure that I did not forget about the movie plan since no one else knew about it.

Fast forward. 4:45pm today. I had to call a customer to resolve some issues, hoping I could wrap it up soon. hmm... 6:00pm, its finally over. It takes about 45min to get home (subway) and another 15-20 min to get to the theatre from there (car). Friday evening traffic. So we finally get to the theatre at 7:25p. By now, Madhavan already knows about the movie (coz I already told him last night). Sandhya is still unaware as I told her that we will just go out. When we were almost at the theatre I told her that we were going to watch 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'. Once in the theatres, she was hungry so got herself something to eat... and busy with carrying that stuff she did not see the movie name before entering the theatre. lol. We are in there and and since the movie has already started, she knows its not 'Benjamin Button'. Eventually she realizes its D6 and is pleasantly surprised (coz she did not know it was releasing today).

Slight fast forward. Intermission. wtf ? Nothing interesting or exciting or inspiring or amazing has happened yet. Then, in less than 15 min, I got my money's worth and more. Dil... gira kahin par... Daffatan. Beautiful song and I was blown away by the picturization. I dont want to hype it for those who havent watched it yet, or give away the brilliance. I will say that it was different. Not everyone may like it, but I was impressed. Since then it was above average. Sonam was pretty, and Abhishek did well. Most actors did a good job, even the ones with very small roles. Eventually Rakeysh did have a message, and it was not preachy. The movie certainly cannot be compared to RDB. That was a masterpiece with a great message, and very inspiring. Anyway, I walked out of the theatre a happy customer and wanting to see 'Dil gira' once more. Ah... well. Thats always a good feeling to walk out of a theatre with.

Dil... gira kahin par....

Baby Steps

Well, my first post on my first blog. I have considered blogging as elite for sometime. So what made me blog "all of a sudden" ? Coz of two of my best friends. One has been blogging for a while now, Naveen. So that made me comfortable with the idea. The other thought I was "descriptive" and should blog, Ramu. I personally think I dont have the patience. I wish to prove myself wrong.