Last night's comprehensive sweep of the Oscars by "Slumdog Millionaire" culminated an improbable dream run of the feel-good movie. It won eight out of the ten Oscars that it was nominated for.
There was some criticism of this movie because it was "not balanced" and that it brings out only the destitute face of India. I respectfully disagree with that view. If you want to see India, go take a vacation and visit the places that you want to see. When you go to see "Slumdog Millionaire", concentrate on the story, the direction, the acting and the message of hope that evolves as the reels roll. It does depict extreme poverty and the resultant brutality of people who scavenge on the victims. But it is fiction, a movie and not a documentary on India. And by the way, lot of the things seen in the movie are indeed true.
As I watched the Oscars with some wonderful company last night, it felt good that an underdog had prevailed. The icing on the cake was seeing the two youngest actors, who actually are slum dwellers in Mumbai, on the stage as a part of the team for the best movie. The rags to riches story of the movie will hopefully replicate in real life for these two kids.
So why did this movie do so well? I think the answer is that its an exceptionally well made movie with a relatively simple story line. Its a feel-good movie in these hard times. And it was also the underdog movie. Its human nature that if we don't have any stake in a contest, we will root for the underdog. Why is that? Why do we instinctively favor the underdog, be it movies, sports or life?
Maybe because we can relate to the underdog. In our lives, we all have been underdogs at some point or another. We know exactly how it feels when life doesn't seem to go our way. Those tough times are a constant reminder and a source of strength for us on this journey we call life. We can distinctly remember who stood by us during those challenging times, who our real friends are and sometimes we surprise ourselves with the strength of our character that surfaces in the face of adversity.
Our true character is reflected by how we behave when nobody is watching. And this movie is all about character, adversity and hope........hope that sincerity & love will eventually prevail in the long run.
"Sometimes our destiny has bigger plans for us than the ones we have for ourselves."
Had to share this with all of you........
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