Slumdog is NOT an Indian Movie. Why do we always have this stupid attachment thing? It is a British Film, about an Indian Boy. Simple. We did the same thing when Sunita Williams went to the Moon(?).
--- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Vithur <vith...@...> wrote: > > 2008 was a year of exploration for Bollywood. Very few movies hewed to the > cliched formula of rich boy/poor girl/disapproving parents that the industry > has been mercilessly lampooned for over the years. The introduction of > corporate entities in funding and the economics of the multiplex made it > possible for young filmmakers to make smaller, more experimental movies and > be assured of a reasonable amount of success. Stars like Shahrukh Khan and > Aamir Khan sat on the bench this year, allowing younger talent to emerge. > > It feels like the era of the superstar may be over, which is probably not a > bad thing for the future of the Hindi movie industry. it also feels like the > hegemony of big studios has been disrupted , with big showy films with known > leads tanking at the box office. Bollywood went back to the drawing board > this year, looking for good scripts and low-key, non-intrusive direction. > Directors un-apologetically made urban movies, (which may explain the > unexpected success of the lone rural movie - *Welcome to Sajjanpur*.) > > Not all the experiments were successes. Many low-budget movies, made with > the best of intentions, tanked at the box-office. There was *Dasvidaniya*, > the Vinay Pathak starrer and *The Last Lear*, a self-indulgent movie that > did not succeed despite the presence of Amitabh, who also starred in another > low-key dud, *Bhootnath*. Still, the industry deserves an E for effort. If > the trend is towards strong scripts filmed on lesser-known actors, I am all > for it. It is about time we created our Pacinos, Hoffmans and De Niros. > > Here are the top 5 movies of 2008 in ascending order - > > 5. <http://waternoice.com/wp-content/uploads/jodha-akbar.jpg>*Jodha Akbar* - > Ashutosh Gowarikar's paean to the best loved Mughal emperor, *Jodha > Akbar*stands out as a lavish historical that worked, mostly due to the > gorgeous > Hrithik Roshan, who transformed people's idea of Akbar from a podgy, stodgy > medieval ruler to a character straight from the cover of a romantic fantasy. > The battle scenes were beautifully shot and the chemistry between Hrithik > and Aishwarya as Jodha kept the long movie from getting tedious. Even though > the existence of Jodha is historically suspect, audiences took their kids > along to give them a history lesson come to life. > > 4. <http://waternoice.com/wp-content/uploads/jaane-tu.jpg>*Jaane TuÂ… ya jaane > na** *- Talented scriptwriter Abbas Tyrewalla made his directing debut with > this movie, a sweet college+ romance that introduced us to another talented > member of Aamir Khan's family, the innocent looking Imran Khan. With a > perfect musical score by Rahman and a wholesome script, the movie got great > word-of-mouth and did very well at the box office. Imran later attempted to > play against his chocolatey looks in *Kidnap*, but that movie sank without a > trace. > > 3. <http://waternoice.com/wp-content/uploads/rock-on.jpg>*Rock On* - > Bollywood's first movie about a rock band which did not devolve into a > Mithun Chakraborty parody, *Rock On* was a surprisingly intelligent movie > made by Abhishek Kapoor, with director Farhan Akhtar( *Dil Chahta Hai, Don*) > in front of the camera as the lead. The excellent script and subdued > direction made me go back and check out the director's previous movie, * > Aryan*, which turned out to be tolerable and could have made waves if cast > better. Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy's authentic rock music gave the movie a lot > of credibility, though I could have done without the actors singing their > own songs. Remember how you always felt you could do a good job singing > Hindi songs in a Karaoke bar? In this case, you really can do better than > the actual singers! > > 2. <http://waternoice.com/wp- content/uploads/a_wednesday_poster1.jpg>*A > Wednesday* - A bona-fide thriller in the mould of *The Negotiator*, a Samuel > Jackson/Kevin Spacey movie, *A Wednesday* was remarkable because it cast > Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah as the leads, a risky proposition at the > box office. A gripping plot and terrific ensemble acting elevated this > low-budget production to one of the best movies to emerge out of Bollywood > this year . With a terrorism infused plot that is enormously relevant in the > current environment, it would be great if *A Wednesday* made the shortlist > for Oscar entries from India. > > 1. <http://waternoice.com/wp-content/uploads/slumdog1.jpg>*Slumdog > Milionaire* - Though this movie was directed by an Englishman, *Slumdog > Millionaire* is pure Bollywood. Danny Boyle perfectly captures the > masala-infused atmosphere of Mumbai, where slums and high-rises coexist > uneasily, where a chaiwalla can dream of being a millionaire. A.R. Rahman > once again demonstrates his brilliance with a score that is jangly and > discordant at times, electric at others, making it an integral part of the > fast-paced action adventure. The high-octane drama also captured the > imagination of the venerable folks over at the Academy of Motion Picture > Arts and Sciences in Hollywood and it is generating Oscar buzz. > http://waternoice.com/2008/12/19/top-5-bollywood-movies-of-2008/ > > -- > regards, > Vithur >
