Masha Allah

AR Rahman and Pookutti are our boys. Though I have heard and enjoyed better music from Rahman, I am happy that our boy has won. Just as how I would condemn watching (and ofcourse playing) cricket in srilanka when thousands are being killed everyday, and yet not feel unhappy when India wins the match, I have mixed feelings.

The movie got undue accolades, and ofcourse undue criticism. The beauty of ugliness portrayed did irk spotlight mongers but my grouse was not about the shit of india shown on screen. The very fact that this movie moved the viewers so much that all the liquid that filled their eyes with pain or pride, sympathy or sarcasm made their vision narrow, makes me rub my own eyes in disbelief.

The film many say is about a poor man winning against all odds in life. The subtext is that he wins not through hard work but by fluke- the only way a ‘slumdog’ can! I was unable to see a poor man struggling and winning in life, I just saw a simple story which talked about a male and female childhood friendship developing into a crush and cinematically climaxing into a song and dance! The simple story did not even become a cinematic experience that simple stories are capable of creating. Changeling was more intense in portraying the spirit of one who fights against odds. Benjamin B was a more tricky story to script. But we have to sing ‘jaiho’ just because the movie was shot in India!

There is nothing Indian about the film. If this is the way an Indian can win his dream girl and his fantasy bungalow at the beach, the only ones who are going to win finally are the organizers and sponsors of TV shows. I always hope that India wins in every encounter. I even sometimes pray for such things. But this is not India. And, this film is not about hope. It is just another empty rhetoric that asks the youth to dream. Air-conditioned dreams without the sweat of toil are bubbles that burst when dawn breaks. Best-selling writers and highly-paid speakers are the only ones who win by peddling such parables. Do I resent the Oscars that came to India? No! I simply wish that there was a truer representation of this great country that won. The composer and the sound engineer were Indian brains- let us be proud of them, but the film and the hype,was about the brainlessness of India.

Rahman deserves honors for his musical mastery. It just happened that Allah smiled at this pious soul this day and in the blessings showered on Rahman the rest of the crew got sprinkled with prizes. To what else can I attribute the eight Oscars of SDM?

This is just another proof that God exists and blesses. Just as how some innocents get caught in God’s fury at the evil, so do some undeserving get wet with the blessings that he showers on his favorite.

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Tags: arrahman, art, oscar, SDM

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