Shameless Fiasco...

I had to write this no matter how un-populist it may sound...

So 'Slumdog Millionaire' won 8 Oscars. A most note worthy achievement indeed. I have personally not watched the movie because I have an aversion to over hype; but maybe when the hype dies, who knows... Anyway, this post is not an appreciation of the said movie at all. If it's anything it's an exercise in deprecation.

Let's get one thing straight- 'slumdog Millionaire' is a British movie...full stop! It is not even a collaboration, unless you take the nationality of the actors into consideration- which would land the entire exercise of crediting a movie into s@#tty waters. A British- american-mexicano- latin-german-....you get the general idea. Danny Boyle, the director and the man of the moment, is a UK resident and has no Indian citizenship.

With that set straight lets get on to the point. Why in hell is every other Indian news media and even the UPA trying to take credit for the movie? Why in tarnations name I ask?!!!! This question has been eating away at my mind for the last few days and left me in a nail biting tantric state. Without having ownership of a particular quality called utter shamelessness I can not imagine any Indian coming forward to claim the honor.

Well and good the actors have done a geat job and have been deservingly, but considering the nature of the Oscars debatably as well, won accolades for it. But that is not reason enough to jump on city scapes and announce brazenly that it is India's moment. Shamelessness really does very poorly at describing the current mood here. Let's for once sit down and think reasonably. Isn't it being unfair to Danny and his directorial and script writing team the way India is Hijacking his moment? I mean the poor chap must be feeling guilty to take credit for his own work, given the stratospheric jubilation here in India by everyone from the news media to the UPA!

The most damning of everything is the fact that the UPA government has also raised it's me-me flag. Without being disrespectful in the least, might I ask a simple question. Did Sonia Gandhi act in the movie? Or perhaps Amar singh aided Danny Boyle in the direction? Or maybe the spot boys were UPA workers? Nada! None of that happened. Then why, UPA, why, demean yourselves and the entire nation by making such ridiculous and half assed claims?

A paper, which unlike certain others exercises restraint and posesses that rare gift called common sense, carried a feature that quotes a distinguished person. He says that rather than the nation's achievement it is a celebration of individual talent and I very well agree with him.

Indians have for long lived in extremes. We are quick to crown someone and equally quick to throw the same person to the wolves. Maybe what we really want is a sense of identity...