Thursday, April 16, 2009

Do Indian cast and crew of Slumdog Millionaire lack dignity?

The very factor which made Slumdog Millionaire (SM) look so real was that it was shot in India with Indian cast & crew. A dignified person of any country would definitely refuse to be a part of any movie which degrades the image of his country, that too in a much embellished way. Although everyone has got the artistic freedom to do whatever an artist within wants to. But isn’t this the responsibility of an artist to be careful enough, not to hurt the feelings of others religiosity and nationality. The mala fide use of artistic freedom by M.F. Hussein was a big controversy. Wasn’t this a duty of Indians of SM crew to take care of the fact that they shouldn’t be a part of the project which degrades the Image of Indians internationally!

Double standards of the crew

Yes, it is professionally good for Indian actors to mark their presence in Hollywood and that too in a movie of Danny Boyle. But should this be done on the cost of their country? But Indian Slumdog Millionaire crew has done that. Fie upon them!

The name, recognition, professional uplift, laurels, monitory gains, all was readily accepted by Indian crew members of SM although it was a mockery of their own country and countrymen. But definitely they wouldn’t have accepted such a proposal if it would have been a movie degrading the image of their family. Why do they have double standards? Remember my fellowmen; you and your family’s pride and dignity are all because of the pride of your country. If you can’t respect your motherland, what else could be expected from you? Have you forgotten the slogans like “Bharat Mata Ki Jai!” heard so commonly in India? :)

Higher the position, higher is the responsibility. It was most shocking to see great star of Indian cinema Anil Kapoor’ taking the position of a corrupt show host in Slumdog Millionaire. Once celebrated as Mr. India, Anil has truly degraded himself to the position of a pet of Mogambo (Danny Boyle)!

How can Anil Kapoor and Irfan Khan forget their performances given in their previous movies? Was the role given by Danny Boyle so great that they wouldn’t get such role again in their lifetime? How can they forget that it’s the people of their country who have given them the love and fame for their contribution to the Indian cinema? And how did they reciprocate? By joining hands with a foreigner, who insults India intentionally? Isn’t this very mean on their part?

Anil said on CNN’s show ‘My City My Life’ - Slumdog is like my story. I also started from scratch - a rags to riches story. I started in Chembur (a Mumbai suburb) and slowly climbed up. God has been kind in that way.’

So what? What’s new in this? We all know that after independence India was no more a country of rich people. People had struggled a lot to reach their present status. So many Indian celebrities, politicians, industrialists have a past of rags to riches. But why didn’t they feel to associate themselves with a movie like Slumdog? Maybe they have more respect for their country! Moreover, was working in Slumdog the only way to let people know about your past? Definitely Anil, you are a Slumdog millionaire!

Anil has stated that ‘…I asked my son. He said, ‘Danny Boyle, you know who he is? He is a great director of films like Trainspotting. You have been coming to my room several times. Did you see the poster on my wall? It’s a poster of Trainspotting. And you are thinking of doing a role in his film? Call him immediately or I am walking out of this house!’

Very nice sir! It’s your duty to take care of your son and being a good father you pleased your son by accepting the role offered by Danny Boyle in Slumdog Millionaire. Your love & affection for your son is understandable but what about the love and affection for your country? Being a good citizen don’t you have any duty towards your own country! Double standards again!

He has also said to IANS in a telephonic interview The younger generation in India is getting mature - that’s why it has been appreciated so much in India as well as abroad. We need to grow up and not talk like children.’

Of course yes. Young generation has become mature enough to know the real truth hidden behind the whole story. Actually your son Harshwardhana, who is doing a course of screen writing in Los Angeles, is a great fan of Danny Boyle. Developing good relations with Danny Boyle would be beneficial for him so he pushed his father to accept the offer to work in Slumdog. Surely your son has become too mature! And makes us mature enough to come forward to protest against what is going wrong around us. So Mr. Kapoor, in fact you need to grow more and not behave like children!

And see his view about this garbage piece (SM) of art

‘…Even if I had appeared in just one shot of the film I would have been equally grateful. It’s once in a lifetime that you get this kind of work.’

Working in a garbage piece like Slumdog Millionaire is really a lifetime catastrophe that should not be done again. Anil further says -

When stars like Shah Rukh Khan…turn down such roles I love to do them. I have been asking Aamir Khan, ‘When are you going to turn down a role so that I may be asked to do it?’ Daane-daane pe likha hai khane wale ka naam.”

Your words are more than enough to let us know about you. It indicates that you are dying to get offers these days. You really lack dignity! How could a man without any self- respect give respect to others?

Just see the people demonstrating outside the Mumbai office of Anil Kapoor. And on the top of all this, Anil is trying to save his face by donating his income from Slumdog Millionaire to a charity. But why does this news comes after so many months of release of Slumdog Millionaire? Why haven’t we heard any news of his social welfare activities ever before!

Regarding Freida Pinto, even if she is making air castles about her beauty and talent, we don’t want to discuss about her because she doesn’t belong to our Indian film Industry as per the saying of the CEO of her management company.

Freida can't be compared to Aishwarya, because we're not pitching her as an Indian girl in international films. Freida is a true global face," Anirban Das, CEO of her management company, was quoted as saying in the report.

Definitely Freida’s beauty and performance can’t be compared to the Indian film queen Aishwarya and even with a newcomer!

Loveleen Tondon too was not known much before working for Danny Boyle and it was the best way for her to get recognition. It looks as if Loveleen don’t have any other work except cashing in the publicity of Slumdog Millionaire. Nowadays too she is busy with “Making of Slumdog Millionaire”. I hope this time she will get more media coverage than Danny Boyle and an Oscar tooJ. Well, if she is so much obsessed with Slumdog Millionaire and its theme, why doesn’t she do something for the welfare of the poor slum dwellers!

It is very easy to understand the greed of slum kids to earn their daily bread but what was the greed for the people like Anil Kapoor, Irfan Khan, Loveleen Tondon? Were they also short of their daily bread? No, actually they were trying to mark their presence in the Hollywood cinema to get the feeling of superiority over other Bollywood stars. But poor chaps you have in fact failed in that. This shows that you truly don’t deserve to be the persons to represent our country worldwide. Moreover for your own benefit you can go to any extent throwing all the moral grounds. You have tried to improve your professional image by shattering the Image of your country. Even the performance you people have given in this movie was not even noteworthy. Just compare your polished performances with the natural performance given by the slum kids. Shame on you, actually you have degraded yourself (from a millionaire to a Slumdog)!! How do you feel now?

Slumdog Millionaire is full of injustice and crime throughout the length but the solution it offers is just to rely on destiny. Getting $20 million just by sheer luck and after that too the person would be called as “Jhopadpatti ka Kutta” – a dog of slum area, only. Don’t they know that this has led westerners to call Indians as Slum dogs? Even if the kids from the slums would have been told the truth that after this movie the outer world will get the license to call you and your countrymen as ‘dogs’ or ‘slumdogs’, they would have thought twice before working in this movie ?

The people around you must be hesitating to let you know your real faces and pretending to celebrate your recognition in Oscars just for the sake of their personal relationships with you and your family. But we are sure that personally they too didn’t like the movie and the motive behind it. We never wanted to say all this. But you people have forced us to put the things so harshly, just to make you realize that you really have done something wrong with your country and your people. You have made us realize that you don’t deserve the love and respect of the Indians. We are talking about these things not to demoralize our fellow men but to remind them that they are Indians too!

A.R Rehman who has always selected love instead of hatred, who loved his mother and motherland has certainly righteous feelings for his country. Starting from Roja, A.R. Rehman has always given a brilliant music. Although with Slumdog Millionaire his marvelous talent got recognized worldwide but he also knew that he had given better music before. Though we appreciate the music composed by A.R Rehman, still we wish next time this glorious person will have his Oscars for a movie which will glorify our motherland worldwide. We are sure that A.R. Rehman, Gulzaar sahib & Rasool Pookutty too wouldn’t be fond of the presentation of their country by Danny Boyle. It’s our bad luck that whenever we recall the achievement of these masters at Oscars it reminds us of a garbage piece (Slumdog Millionaire) too!


Real legends of India

Truly a legend like Mr. Amitabh Bachchan can only have the guts to come forward to comment on the projection of India in Slumdog Millionaire. If he would have been offered a role in a movie like Slumdog Millionaire, he definitely would have refused it. How can a dignified and honored host like Mr. Bachchan could ever dishonor his position by becoming a cheap show host!

We are also proud of Mr. ShahRukh Khan that he didn’t went for this role, that too when every other star wants to make his presence in Hollywood. He was not even moved by Danny Boyle’s continues visits at his house for many days. Whatever the excuses were given for denying the role, but it actually shows his sentiments for his country that ‘Phir bhi dil hai hindustani’. We are sure that his sincerity and our prayers would definitely lead him to Oscars one day as per his own words:

I love awards and I hope to feature in a film comprising Indian cast and crew someday which will go to win these awards”

And never the less we appreciate Mr. Aamir Khan, whose movies had been to Oscars thrice. He is courageous enough to show his disliking for Slumdog Millionaire in many interviews.

Media has over projected the personal disliking of these stars regarding Slumdog Millionaire. This has forced them to change their statements now, so that their personal disliking would not affect their professional life.

We are sure that most of the people of Indian film industry personally didn’t like the movie and the way in which their country is presented globally. They must be keeping mum because they don’t want to talk against their own colleagues. And how could a fish take ‘panga’ with the fishes living in the same pond?

Thanks to all

We really appreciate the actors, actresses, directors, producers and all other members of Indian film industry who have come forward to raise their voice against Slumdog Millionaire. In this way, being responsible citizens of India, they are helping to maintain the dignity and pride of the country. They should also boycott the actors who have worked in this movie, just to let them know that being an Indian you did something wrong to your country and people. You people are the ideals of most of the citizens of our country. So please take the flag in your hand and let others follow you! We would also like to thank Filmfare family for recognizing only the kids from the Slumdog Millionaire in the 54th Idea Filmfare awards.

Dear Indians please wake up and take the resolution to not be a part of any such project which would taint the image of whole country. Jai Hind!

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