Sangu opines on recent movies

Right. The title should be self explanatory. Though I am sure you too see the void in information, in that I haven’t actually suggested which movies exactly I am going to pronounce judgement on. I attempt to remedy the malady by straight away confirming that I intend to talk about two very talked about movies – Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Notice the use of the phrase “talk about”. Yes thats right. This is not going to be a review. Though it almost is if you actually think about it.

Slumdog Millionaire is for me an overhyped and utterly bullshit film. Except for the child sequences. Which are good, but don’t necessarily make a whole movie. I thought the premise (KBC setting) was a bit innovative, but felt it didn’t really gel. I didn’t appreciate the modifications made to the showgame’s concept by making it an all-or-nothing kind of situation in the final question as it seemed a bit too contrived to suit the plot. And although Irfan Khan suggests the possibility of Mr.Hero knowing the answers was bizarrely possible, I think not. Amean, there is a limit as to the things you can write off to coincidence, and this film here, had many too many.

I didn’t really see any purpose in Mr.Hero immitating a Glasgow accent and all. What was the director trying to say here? That Mr.Hero was street smart? Then how the fuck did he still trust his brother? Random, I tell you. And what the fuck on earth made the brother kill himself?? What made him change his character just like that and give up a perfectly successful life as a gangster for the sake of his brother?

I admit the movie was a success. But I think it succeeded because there was a formula to it. Show scenes of the slum (which was very realistic I must admit) and the abject poverty people face, and then show how they fight their way out and in the end, lead a happy consumerist western lifestyle. I’m sure it would have touched a chord with the western minds. And if westerners like it, then we Indians are going to have no time lost in celebrating it as well. I call it the Dabbawalah effect.

And on Rahman winning the Golden Globe, its just utterly unbelievable that he was ignored all these years for any international awards when he was making awesome songs in tamil, and then all of a sudden gaining fame for providing such lacklustre songs, just because it sounds strange and comes in a so called good movie. In the entire album, I liked “O Saya..” and one of the instrumental pieces to some extent. I also liked “paper planes” some, but ofc, it was by MIA.

And, abruptly changing topic, I also saw Benjamin Button. And after watching, there was only one thing I could think of. I just pictured the director (lets say) Jimmy going to a bar with his friends, getting sloshed and placing a bet: “Heya bitch! I betcha I could make a movie with the most absurd plot ever conceivable and still make it a hit. I have a formula. Yes you heard right. A formula that is gonna make the audiences cry, drool and sway in their seats. You tell me the plot yourself. And I’ll show it to ya. Whats that you said? You want me to make a film about a person born as a 90 year old and growin younger and dyin as a child? Sounds rummy. But I told ya I’d do it, and I will make it a hit alright.”

That I feel is how this most absurd of stories must have been conceived. And the movie had all the things wow the audiences. Including suggestive hummingbirds placed to signal the passing of someone special and all. (Those who haven’t seen the movie, think of the cartoonish butterfly that was seen fluttering about at the end of Dasavatharam, suggesting the plot’s relation to the Butterfly Effect.) And yes, I liked it. It was an amazingly wholesome movie and I could see a lot of thought had been put into directing it in order to wow the audiences. Brad Pitt can act I tell you. If you havent watched it yet, I would advise you to download a pirated copy and watch it immediately. And don’t go to the theatres. Theatres are for dummies without laptops.