Slumdog Bizzare?

10 oscar nominations.
A bagful of Gloden Globes.
A rating of 4-and-a-half-star in TOI.

I have been a serious movie-buff for a long-long time now and have been following the critic-rating of movies (mainly in Times of India). Though I not always agree with the stars over there, but that is one-of-my guides to pick a movie or give it a slip.

I don't remember any other time when there was a rating of 4-and-a-half for any movie in TOI. So when I found this rating for Slumdog Millionaire, I was like, "wow!". This was after the movie's big reap at Golden Globe and Times of India Front Page - Main Headline (after it's oscar nominations) "Rah Rah Rahman..."

So the expectations were sky high as I went to have a dekko. The movie, no doubt, is a well made one. But I as I got out of Theatre, I wasn't sure it was as great as it was made out to be. Here are few thoughts which echoed in my mind as I drove back home :

The high-points of the movie are its cinematography, AR Rahman's red-bull energy laced music (I think the movie wouldn't have been half as good without that), the performance by the lead actors, slick editing and an amazing portrayal of Mumbai's slum under-belly.

What I thought it lacked was the emotional warmth which a good Bollywood movie often does so well - touching your heart in such a way that you feel an emotion so strongly that your eyes just spill. I know I am going against the tide, but couldn't help feeling this way. I also attributed this to a Brit being at the helm-of-affairs, here.

Another thing which I found a bit out-of-place was the casting of Dev Patel as Jamal. Dev Patel looked too sophisticated for a guy raised in slums. He always looked someone from a very well-to-do family. Contrast this to the Jamal played by the child artist (see him jumping into human excreta to get a Glimpse of his hero Amitabh Bachchan), one can immediately connect with the native intelligence the role possessed and the spirit it had (to beat the system to rise up).

Well, none from outside India can understand this nuance and won't be able to figure this out. As they applaud the movie, most of us too, would choose to ignore this.

If you keep these points aside, it is a well made movie and does deserves few stars!