Update: Courtesy our Overlord, an interview with Mr Vikas Swarup–the author of the original novel.
I have no clue why people don’t get it. ”Mainstream” Bollywood makes the movies it does because it caters to its market. Danny Boyle has made the movie he has because it caters to his.
They are far more similar than this moron understands.
And I am not even getting into oh-only-a-White-man could have made it. Except may I point out that it takes some stupidity to equate White man and Westerner. They are different!
But wait, I will make one point. The notion that everyone finds this movie stupid because it hurts their nationalist sentiments is moronic at best. Some folks simply did not like it. Like me. Period.
And I am far more concerned about the moronic writing seen in mainstream and respected American and British media than a movie purporting to tell the story of real India.
Filed under: Cinema, Media/Blog watch
That boy seems a bit confused about this thing called “reality”. A movie that is fundamentally a rags-to-riches story (regardless of the convoluted plot) is somehow the “reality” of India, eh?
And this is the best bit.. “I know Vikas – an Indian diplomat, he loves his country as much as anyone and did it the service of telling its truth with great warmth and humanity.” Why?
Because here is what the author said about how the novel came about.. “I was very happy with my career. I was not set to become a writer. In 2003, I was alone in London. My family had gone to India. I thought I would try writing fiction. I wanted to know if I could write or not. I got an idea and I thought let me develop it.”
And how did he get his plot? Like this:
I wanted to write something different, so I decided to write on a quiz show. In a quiz show there is tension. The tension between the person asking the questions and the person answering. I wanted my plot to be big. I thought Kaun Banega Crorepati is passe, so it is Kaun Banega Arabpati? (Who Will Win a Billion?) That’s a tantalising prospect.
If my contestant is a millionaire, it does not create tension to give a billion to a millionaire. I produced contrast. Here is a pauper contesting for a billion, and he gets it. The tension is palpable.
I read a newspaper report that street children in India have begun using the mobile Net facility. That gave me an idea. They had intuitively understood technology. You normally don’t expect street children to surf the World Wide Web. We think they are uneducated people who do not go to schools. How can they think about the Internet? Here it was a reality.
I thought, why not have an unlettered person appear on a quiz show, where difficult questions are asked and through his real-life experiences he answers all of them.
Read the whole thing here
Which is why CC2C rocks !
And for the record while I find cliche of “It’s X, stupid” overwrought, I think here it is apt.
Oh, and congratulation to our Russian Overlord.
“It’s the economy, stupid” was a phrase by a WHITE MAN, coined by Clinton campaign strategist James Carville, spreading the message that Clinton was a better choice over Bush who had an inadequate look at the economy
n what we have here – It’s the Market, Stupid.
this Nirlep** guy (sorry, Nirlap) seemed to have sold his soul to the white skins. who is he to conclude that the existing Bollywood stars are poor in talent.
n who is he to delcare that BIG B gave one of the worst performances….
this dumb Nirlep certainly seems to have something against Big B
@ where was this dumb idiot when India had brilliantly captured the REAL TASTE OF INDIA, courtesy, Mr Ray, Naseerudhin shah, Shabana, Smita Patil era, Shyam Benegal era, Malayalam parallel scene, …
@ where was this stupid man when we consumed a slew of contemporary view on nags like prostitution, women etc.
this moron should understand this bloody fact that we, Indians, largely strive n struggle with harsh realities n cinema is only the affordable n accessible escape for the belly of the country. n mainstream Bollywood cinema has been doing this job, while making some space for PARALLEL stream…
this moron should also digest the fact Jaane Tu, Rock On!!….etc capture the CURRENT mindset of YOUNG INDIA, the sense of emptiness being felt by young Indians…contemporary India should not be ignored
how can, in the same bloody breath, mention a trash called Love Story 2050…
I just want to ask this Nirlap moron, what is he doing there in some f** place, as a commentator? why would not come down n drag his elegant feet to our so called poverty stuck decaying land n do something about it?
btw,
**Nirlep is a kitchenware brand in India, tehehe
Dear Lord,
Pliss to make name-spelling correction.
And pliss to pass comment on the stupidity of the country up in arms over white man’s demotion of National God to rank of 26th behind obnoxious-weed-comment-maker who is in top-10.
Thank You.
Overlord,
Thank you. Very interesting. And good to see you back. And congratulations e.t.c for status change.
Jyo,
Though I have not seen Amitabh’s Lear flick, it was made for Indian audiences. Perhaps, this dude does not know that some people in India also understand English!
Bongo,
Yes sire. Corrected. Was drunk,
And needful shall be done.
@Gaurav, Confused: Thanks.
R
U should plunge into media n entertainment journalism, u certainly make a lot more sense than this tribe of **dead bulbs* – Nirlep guy
would love to read you (always) n rip u apart (sometimes)
It’s a nice reality where a famous game show contestant can be tortured and no jholawalas and media pundits appear to take the police and game show host to task.