Congratulations Slumdog Millionaire!
In one of the best performances by a movie ever, Slumdog Millionaire won a whopping 8 Oscar awards out of the 10 categories it was nominated in. AR Rahman won the first individual Oscar by any India in the Best Original Score category. He also won the Best Original Song award with Gulzar for the song Jai Ho. Resul Pookutty won the award in the Sound Mixing category along with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke. Danny Boyle won the prestigious Best Director award for Slumdog. The icing on the cake was the Best Movie award.
All Awards Won By Slumdog Millionaire
Best Movie – Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director – Danny Boyle
Best Original Score – AR Rahman
Best Original Song – AR Rahman
Best Sound Mixing – Resul Pookutty, Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke
Best Film Editing – Chris Dickens
Best Cinematography – Anthony Dod Mantle
Best Adapted Screenplay – Simon Beaufoy
Simon Beaufoy, Danny Boyler et al were generous in his praise of Mumbai and India. Resul Pookutty talked about India, Mumbai and Om. AR Rahman thanked everyone and said that everyone has a choice to choose between love and hate an he chose love.
Congratulations to everyone who made the movie and appreciated it, and of course, the great city of Mumbai . Bole to jhakkas!
@Shahid
I apologize.. what is your point? Could you please give me reference where I said so? I’d appreciate.
Poeverty and filth is a part of every day life for thousands of Indians. All those Inidans who are ashamed of its potrayal in the movie should ask themselves – what have they done to imporve the lives of their unpreviliged brethern , instead of blaming a foreigner for showing the world something we had grown insensitive to.
And all those who say that we do not need an Oscar to recognise Indian talent, it is a case of sour grapes !!
For me what was most touching was that an Indian Muslim sound engineer chose to speak of ‘Ohm’ – the sacred Hindu symbol to glorify Indian civilisation and culture in front of a global audience. If nothing else, let us celebrate the great pluralistic tradtions of India which still survive inspite of the Taliban and Sang Parivar.
There you go, your statement of “Good human and practicing muslims, who will set a high criteria of humanity than all that you will get …” indicates that you still haven’t grown up; and your views of “who should or shouldn’t “ speak volumes of your narrow-mindedness!
When I look at these forums in this website [btw, this is the best website I have come across in terms of discussions on religion per se] and read views of many intellectuals, I feel a great sense of pride that there are muslims, hindus, et al. who are so sick of what happened in the last 60+ years and stress the need to go beyond beliefs and practices so that in India [or for that matter in the world] one should stress again and again on the basic needs of humanity – ROTI, KAPDA, AUR MAAKAN [irrespective of religion or the degree of the depth in their practices]. For example, take poverty!! Does it care if you are a hindu or muslim or sikh or Christian?? I don’t think so! On the contrary, in this website, a few like you [who never cease to amaze me] are caught up with judging people as “believers versus non-believers”, “muslims versus not a good enough muslim” or “should versus shouldn’t” !
Further, you said that “There have been many muslims in Indian film industry. Some alcoholic, some drug addict and few others. A muslim who prays five times, his success in the west is lovable and probably loved.…”,
How do you know that “his or her success in the west is lovable and probably loved”??? Lovable by whom and for what because he or she is a true muslim??
Irrespective of their non-muslim practices, SRK does lots of good things; Aamir does lots of social work, and Naseerudin Shah does the same! Such people are bad muslims for you?? Your views and judging other muslims are no different from these mullahs who spread hatred or judge others based on their practices!
How about Resul’s acceptance speech!! Do you think by Resul saying to the whole world “..in India, starts with silence, aum, and ends with silence [not the exact quote though]”, So Resul is not a true muslim because he mentioned AUM or he works with non-believers?? If I am not mistaken, Rahman’s sister’s son’s name is Prakash! But they are converted muslims and practice islam religiously, so do you think Prakash is not a true muslim??? Furthermore, in your view is Kasab a true muslim because of his JIHAD? If so, do you think what he did is according to Islamic teachings? I know many of my muslim friends hate Kasab because of his approach towards Islam! Well, Kasab and you read the same religious book, follow all the rituals correctly [no drinking, five times prayer, and all…] If you ask Kasab, who knows he might say that you are NOT a true muslim!!!
Also, In Your statement “…Personally I have seen many muslims(all over the world) who are good scientist, mathematicians and educated ones. They are little shaky about practicing Islam. So, (in my experience) whenever we have to compete in world we leave practicing Islam…” AND Your last statement of “So, (in my experience) whenever we have to compete in world we leave practicing Islam…”.
Well, this tells a lot about your own narrow outlook of the world! It is you who built this narrow-minded nest of what is and what isn’t and you judge as if such and such are better muslims than others! Grow up out of the thinking that he or she is shaky because that is not what humanity is OR …will set a high criteria of humanity!!
I have grown up in a muslim neighborhood [to be precise, near old city, Hyderabad of India], and I have known and worked with muslim scientists who are NOT shaky about practicing their religion! And in fact their views are way better than your outlook [as you expressed here umpteen times] of what is and what isn’t??? Presently, I work with few muslims in USA (who have once in a while have wine) who do so much work for their community and help others [irrespective of religion] than you can dream of! I also know “Good human and practicing muslims”. I also know a few muslims who pray religiously and don’t drink and …the whole nine yards but beat their wives [trust me, a few hindus do the same to their women] and support honor killings .. of course they claim to be TRUE MUSLIMS!
With a decent knowledge of Islam, I do know that a true muslim doesn’t hurt his wife and respects women rights! But my point is that, this so-called “non-practicing muslims“ who help, and understand and care for others are NO LESS HUMANBEINGS!! Lastly, your multiple choices of A or B is an indication of the “frog-in-the well” syndrome that you currently have, and may be you should start thinking outside the box!!
@niceguy
Point: When a muslim achieves, a literate section on Indian majority applauds the achiever and the rest section(RSS, VHP, BJP et cetra) stays mum or personal praises are made, so, overall what we get from the majority is: A personal applaud. When we find a muslim attack someone, VHP, BJP and RSS attack Islam and the literate section, either stay mum or speak too little discarding the involvement of religious values responsible for his insane action, rather there is a discussion that springs up “Does Quran teaches violence?”. So, overall what we(minority) get from the majority is: A religious defame.
You: You just happen to belong to that literate section wherein you applaud personally(as you did) and your voice(if at all) asserting total personal values responsible in the terror attack by Indian muslim is very weak.
I hope I was a little clear, as again I said in my previous posts, feel free to ask for explanation.
Sudie,
Those Americans usually work in groups and volunteer for some time and come back. In America, community service is part of doing well in school, unlike our highly religious India. The movie’s focus is not poverty, it is the hero. message was more like breaking with traditional thinking and one’s ability to find solution to any problem– if there is will, there is a way. Poverty was simply part of the rural background.
Yes, India is feudal etc, I am saying it is high time we changed before, we go around saying we did it, we are the next super power. Responsibility needs to be emphasized as much as liberties and rights. We, especially are not yet there, where we focus more on fighting for trivial liberties like right to drink , while dowry deaths and selling girls is part of daily routine. Renuka chowdary can help us all by focussing on women literacy, dowry, forced prostitution and gender equality in matrimonial matters. But chooses what is easy, calling for Pub Bharo. Does she own one or what?
What are you talking about small cities. Check the dowry death stats in delhi, check where most human trafficking happens. Yes, spreading to smaller cities too as westernization is reaching there. I don’t know about finding them in pubs of Delhi, but they sure are found(drunk driving or teasing girls) on the streets of Delhi.
@Soham
May be I have not grown up, and if you want to remove the idea of “should and shouldn’t”, “believers and non-believers” and “muslims versus not a good enough muslim”, I don’t want to grow up. Anyways, to answer few that you asked:
“How do you know that “his or her success in the west is lovable and probably loved”??? Lovable by whom and for what because he or she is a true muslim??” No, they are loved by west and(NOT because) they are muslims.
You have mentioned examples of people who are good and yet non-practicing and then people who practice and yet commit crime(e.g. Kasab).
My comment is made for person who is practicing and helpful, and Rahman fits into it. I am not to generalize the criteria.
Its a matter of preference and not labeling. And that “shaky about practicing”: Its about what kind of people you got in your life.
@Shahid,
Maybe you are partially right. Personally, I am influenced by values of Sanatana Dharma. Perhaps this could be the reason, I am biased against couple of features in Islam, or you can say my lack of clear understanding about them.
Also, please stop calling “minority/majority”. It only exists in the textbooks of politicians who want to keep us divided. Always remember, you are your consciousness – you build your own reality {Bhagvad Gita}. If you think you are minority, you’ll keep thinking, talking & acting like a minority & everything associated with it including victimhood.
Shahid,
You mean logic like, Terrorist is not Muslim. He has no religion(well , he had until yesterday) but Ummah is happy for A.R.Rahman. Got it.
I was trying to say the same. Let both be Indian Muslim or both be just Indian. That is what I insist in my comments. Nice, we talk same language(Explicit language, just kidding ) sometimes, though i belong to category A, that you seem to despise. I apprecite entertainment value of comments by people who refuse to growup, because then they will have to face realities, which are not black and white, but complicated as pointed by Soham.
@Ram
An argument(s) can’t be refuted because its converse maybe false.
My pleasure Sir, its nice to entertain people, and specially the scholars who don’t work binary(good or bad), and posses a well quantized understanding of the subject. Try you luck with string theory, maybe your quantization will fetch you a nobel.
Slumdog millionaire is a great movie just because it touches one’s heart. A.R Rehman is a genius. It was a given that he would get this award sometime during his life but i think it has happened sooner than i thought.
I wonder if this movie would have gotten any oscars if director was not a British (but then i think: would an Indian director done justice to the story?).
All 3 Indians winning oscars are muslims! Yes. AR Rahman, Gulzar, Rasool (never mind his hindu sounding last name!). When it comes to art and cinema, muslims have produced some great talents.
I watched this movie in a theater in a city in PA, USA. People started leaving towards the end but as soon as the song Jai Ho came, they just stood still to hear the song out. Such is the magic of Rahman.
Kudos to the team. Hope Indian cinema will see better movies in times ahead following the success of SDM.
Sridhar
Sridhar:
Gulzar is the takhallus of Sampooran Singh. But it doesn’t really matters what religion he professes. These artists are revered by all and their magic traverses boundaries.
I saw the movie in CA and people gave started clapping impromptu at the end. Pretty rare sight here.
Sridhar, slight nit-pick – Gulzar is a Sikh, which explains his film “Maachis” which seemed very heart-felt and personal. But as Mohib mentioned, his genius and artistry transcends any religious considerations.