Oscars again (and Slumdog comments)

Unlike last year, they are actually showing the Oscars live down here (on Cable TV though). Could have something to do with the fact that an Aussie, Hugh Jackman, is hosting the show.  Unfortunately, work beckons and anything interesting that happens will have to be caught up with later tonite.   Before leaving for work, I did notice though that as many as four different channels are showing the Oscar red-carpets !

Nothing much to say about the actual awards. The only film I have watched is Benjamin Button and that really doesn’t deserve an Oscar. As per smart people, neither does Slumdog Millionare, but since when is the Oscars about deserving. It has been mostly about hype, publicity and sometimes a bit of politics.

Re: Sulmgog, I find the hoopla and controversy surrounding the film bit pointless. Among the western audience, everyone seems to lap it up. The Indian audience is divided into three views: one that absolutely hates the movie, and the hatred is based on the fact that the film only shows poverty and a very tired cliche of what westerners would lie to perceive India as, and totally ignores the so-called ‘modern’ India. The other camp believes that poverty is very much a reality and Indians should face up to it. Neither of these are very rational views.

Thankfully, there is a saner camp in-between, and quite a few erudite bloggers have pointed out that they do not like the film just because it is not good cinema. This blog probably sums it up best:

Having lavished praise, awards, and money on a movie with atrocious acting, cringe-worthy dialogues, a plot that bends disbelief beyond its event horizon, characters with the depth of a chullu and a script more packed with cliches than the Virar fast during rush hour; white people have proved that colonial guilt makes better goggles than beer^[2].

To be fair, I shouldn’t be commenting too much on the issue as I am yet to see the film myelf.

However, what I am hoping for – and admittedly this is a bit irrational too – is for Jai Ho to take the Best Song award. Liek many ARR compositions, this one took me a while to get used to, but I just love the catchy beats now. Certainly not the best ARR-Gulzar collaboration, but certainly award-worthy.

Republic Day and more…..

On the occasion of the Republic Day in India, it would be appropriate to celebrate with Bharath Bala and  A R Rahman’s wonderful take on Vande Mataram (Maa Tujhe Salam):

Way back when, Republic Day used to bring about much misty-eyed pride while catching the parade on TV; now I am more cynical, but this video is still moving.

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Down under, it is also a holiday on account of Australia Day, which recognizes the foundation of the country by celebrating the day when the first British fleet landed. Just like 4th of July in the US, or the I-Day/Republic Day in India, there is a surfeit of flags all around  – from cars to underwears, and the patriotic scale has been set to high. However, some Australians – quite appropriately – view it as Invasion Day, and many opponents, including this year’s Australian of the Year, Mick Dodson,  have called for a change in date in order to be more inclusive of the indigenous people.

Either way, Aussies know how to enjoy a holiday (there are very few public holidays in the calendar year): the day is sure to feature thong-sporting picnic-ers, barbied snags, cheap lager, sun-burns, ferry races, air-shows and finally the ubiquitous fireworks in the evenings. This year coincidentally will even feature a celestial event with a partial solar eclipse visible towards the early evening.

And in that day-long partying spirit, here is one of the most celebrated songs about the country: