Oscarred ..

Although late in the day, I badly needed to speak on a topic to kickstart my blogging activity again. What better a topic to choose than the widely discussed Oscar night. Without doubt the biggest Oscar night for India, with 2 Oscars for A.R.Rehman and another for Resul Pookutty. Honestly, the accolades one showers on A.R.Rehman are duly deserved, though in India everyone senses, this probably wasn't his best score. Well, more than 15 years of talent and musical wizardry had to be rewarded some day. Oscar was the ultimate.

Debates keep ranging from whether Slumdog Millionaire has exploited the slum dwellers of Mumbai, and their daily livelihood in making the movie this big a success. Honestly, it does help when an international audience witnesses the true plight of slum dwellers, and lend a helping hand. Albeit reluctantly, India's general elections coinciding with the Oscar awards for Slumdog, could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for these slum dwellers. Though there is always that lingering perception of empty promises, politicians would definitely woo these dwellers, and keep their causes in the limelight for a few years atleast. Maybe, just maybe the slum dwellers have a glimmer of hope in that way.


To hail the Oscar awards as akin to Indian cinema's arrival at the global stage would be foolish. For, it is only through the vision of a British director like Danny Boyle could A.R. Rehman's potential be truly tapped. That Rehman can deliver much better scores, only highlights the depth of talent the man possesses. Indian cinema has vast talent, and with the diversity India possesses, harnessing it should not be a problem. Until a talent born and brought up in India, creates on screen magic through an international film, Indian cinema wouldn't have arrived.

What has been more sad is the lack of interest shown in the movie, which truly is inspiring and boasts of a truly Indian presence, albeit in a shortened format. Smile Pinki won the Oscar for documentary, and covered the inspiring story of Pinki, who remained an outcast due to a cleft lip until there was hope from a social worker. In all the glitz of slumdog one needs to think of this little child who has been the reason for an Oscar, and brings new hope for children with cleft lip.

Indian cinema has a lot to offer. The Oscar was just a glimpse of the talent which is awaiting to be tapped. With the global exposure, and the willingness of today's audience in India to appreciate different kinds of subjects, there is certainly lot of optimism in Indian cinema. I refrain from using Bollywood going places, for the simple reason that Indian cinema is too diverse and talented to be confined to just Bollywood. Rehman's award could just be the beginning of things to come for Indian Cinema. Jai Ho !