Big B blasts 'Slumdog Millionaire' on blog

knoughtyd

Amitabh blasts 'Slumdog Millionaire' on blog

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has slammed Danny Boyle's Golden Globe award winning underdog drama "Slumdog Millionaire" for showing India in poor light.

Amitabh Bachchan has once again used his far reaching blog-power to put across a rather disturbing view point for the millions of celebrating Indians hailing the success of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ at the Golden Globe.

Amitabh Bachchan has slammed the glamorised s0b-story of ‘poor’ India that has been portrayed in the much acclaimed ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. His claim is that such a story of poverty and apathy is a reality in almost all the well-off countries as it is in India, even the one that has so magnanimously bestowed the Golden Globe to an aspiring Musician of a developing country.

"If 'Slumdog Millionaire' projects India as Third World dirty underbelly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky underbelly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations,"

Amitabh said in a posting on his blog on Wednesday from Paris, France.

His tirade went on to add,

"Its just that the 'Slumdog Millioanire' idea authored by an Indian and conceived and cinematically put together by a westerner, gets creative global recognition.The other would perhaps not"

The 66-year-old also talked about the changing trend in recognition of Indian cinema.

"The commercial escapist world of Indian cinema had vociferously battled for years, on the attention paid and the adulation given to the legendary Satyajit Ray... and not a word of appreciation for the entertaining mass-oriented box office blockbusters that were being churned out from Mumbai.

"Ray portrayed reality. While, the other - escapism, fantasy and incredulous posturing. Unimpressive for Cannes and Berlin and Venice (film festivals),"

he explained.

He further wrote:

"But look how rapidly all that is changing. Dedicated TV channels running Hindi cinema on prime timings. Premieres at Leicester Square (referring to 'Chandni Chowk To China'), the home of all Hollywood royalty, thronged by hundreds on the street in cold biting weather."

champu

^ Dont mind his words.. he is old..faces problems like Constipation

Agnel

^

Btw, I read that post in ET. It is really idiotic to blast SM. I mean, SM has clearly shown what India is, not showing the developed India isn't wrong either.

If Amitabh can just shut his mouth and try to improve the society by lending a hand, it would sound nice. Many others would write about him in their blogs

Safin

He is just angry that he didn't get recognized, not even invited

I would love to have heard what he would said if this was say his film. I hope he doesn't make his jeolousy so plain obvious all the time.

As far as conveying India in poor light goes, Guess Dostana and his "Nishabd" performances(off the stage) portray India in any better light.
I can't help remember

Nishabd

The Sorcerer

It seems that grandpa is pissed off that Anil kapoor was chosen rather than him. I doubt that Amitabh can dance on that game show stage- or else its lilavati hospital trip Deja vu all over again.

shakysanky

I guess he has a point there!!!
Anyone of u who has read "The White Tiger-Arvind Adiga",he has portrayed a similar picture in the book!!!!& guess what he won the Bookers Price.

Coincidence may be,may be not!!!

Safin

Obviously the west loves to see such movies. They think its reality, the real portrayal. As it is the rest of the world still sees India pretty much still living in slums. Its bad yes but w have to blame ourselves also.
How many people in India live properly anyway. I mean even good educated earning fellows will be more than happy living next to a garbage dump. And lets not even talk about slums. You come into Mumbai and Delhi and all you see are just slums all over the place, filth, dirt and what not.

Sure we don't want to see all that, we tend to avoid thinking about that India, but a new guy to this country will notice it and i can understand why they feel that India is still a land of poor.

Bluffmaster

Do you guys have any idea how much of Indian population is still living under poverty? Slumdog Millionaire depicted that part of India very realistically. Infact unlike many similar movies on the same subject this one did not exaggerate anything. I am actually amazed that a westerner was so accurately able to depict the slum life in India. Anyways, just so you know currently the number of people living in slums in India has more than doubled in the past two decades and now exceeds the entire population of Britain. Indian slum population doubles in two decades - Times Online

And its not like only the films which depict india in poor light do well in the west. The overseas collection of all the Karan Johar and yash raj films are a proof that people there actually love Bollywood masala flicks which have a larger then life appeal to them.

champu

Real India is diversified with many classes of different economic stratas .The difference between the top nd the bottom is huge..While lower ones i.e. ppl in slums are trying to upgrade their status f life, the richer r dominating them in every perspective resulting a passive class warfare.These emotional feelings & underlying tensions or antagonisms leads to gnerate the votebank for our politicians & makes our society dwelling ground for anti socials.

xXx

Hollywood...loves Reality Movies...whee hindi film industry..dumps reality movies and go for potboilers, masala etc etc etc....thats why AB Sr. is pissed