Beyond the red carpet

Beyond the red carpet
Slumdog Millionaire and Smile Pinki have proved that Indian subjects sell abroad. However, amidst all the hype, let’s not forget that neither is an Indian production. But the Oscar glory should bring about a change in the mindset of our makers who seem to have more trust in Hollywood hits than issues that are Indian to the core

Diganta Guha
There’s euphoria everywhere in India. The Slumdog Millionaire wave that had swept over Indians has gained further momentum with the film’s phenomenal success at the Oscars (winners in eight categories). What an achievement! You need to stand up and applaud Danny Boyle and his team for making an absolute gem out of Vikas Swarup’s book on the rags to riches story of a Mumbai slumkid. Well, we have reasons enough to be ecstatic. Indian films have finally emerged on the global scene and are ready to take on challenges — seems to be the common phrase we hear wherever we are going — streets, office, restaurant and even at home when you have to sit back and watch a thousand bytes from experts and the common man. But, aren’t we reading too much into it?
One has to stand up and salute Indian maestro A R Rahman for finally making it to the Oscars and thank Boyle for putting India on the global map. And let’s not forget Resul Pookutty who has won an Oscar in the category of Best Sound Mixing and lyricist Gulzar who has shared the coveted award with Rahman for the best song and Smile Pinki, the documentary that has romped home in the Documentary Short category. Yes, we are celebrating and justifiably so, but there is another side to it. Slumdog… has an Indian subject with some Indian actors and technicians on board (see box). But whether we like it or not, it’s not an Indian production. Same goes with Smile Pinki. Amid all this celebration, are we really worried about the fact that it needed Western brains to win us an Oscar? Slumdog … is a British production and Smile Pinki is directed by American director Megan Mylan.
So, isn’t it time that our Indian makers realised the strength of an Indian story with a universal appeal which Slumdog… and Smile Pinki have proved? How long do we have to seek foreign help to gain global recognition? Let’s not forget Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi that romped home with eight Oscars in 1982 and Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman’s documentary Born into Brothels (based on the lives of children of sex workers of Sonagachi, Kolkata) that emerged victorious in the Best Documentary category in 2005. Thanks to Gandhi, Indian costume designer Bhanu Athaiya won the Oscar in the Best Costume Design category. There are so many questions that are worth looking into if we are to generate an interest in the global audience. These are questions that should haunt us if we want to honestly make inroads into the foreign market.
In the very first place, let’s get this straight — winning or losing an Oscar shouldn’t be the benchmark of judging the quality of any film industry be it Indian or Hollywood. Mind you, Slumdog… failed to create the same magic at the Indian box-office. And it’s not that Indian films haven’t got global recognition before. Makers like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shyam Benegal, Goutam Ghose, Buddhadev Dasgupta and others have earned acclaim in various international festivals over the years. Except Ray, none of the others has won an Oscar, but their names are mentioned with utmost reverence. “I wonder why there is so much of hype over the Oscar triumph. When Ray got an Oscar this hype was missing and let’s face it Oscars in the main categories are only meant for Hollywood films,” says Dasgupta agreeing to the fact that our filmmakers have won international accolades even without getting an Oscar. Yet we tend to overlook that and make Oscar the ultimate yardstick for international recognition. This is not an attempt to underestimate the Oscars (it’s every actor or director’s dream to bag one in his lifetime), but there is life beyond the Oscars too.
Practically speaking…
Over the years, we have had a number of Indian entries for the Oscars in the Foreign Film category and out of them only Mother India in 1957, Salaam Bombay in 1988 and Lagaan in 2001 actually won nominations. The reason is simple: they were no doubt classics in their own rights, but they had strong Indian subjects that impressed the Western jury. This also reminds us of Deepa Mehta’s Water which had won a nomination in the Foreign Film category in 2007. Incidentally, it was a Canadian and not an Indian production. But the subject was very much Indian.
Identifying the true areas which can give us global recognition is important. If we assume that the archetypal Bollywood films making money abroad will earn us accolades globally, we are living in a fool’s paradise. Blockbusters like Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna or Veer-Zaara appealed only to the Indian diaspora. When we make a film, our only concern is the box-office. What’s the point spending crores if the return doesn’t bring a smile on our faces? Over the last few years, the global market has become an important area for Hindi films. And in pursuit of that, we have also tried to ape the West. Flashy locales coupled with out –of- the world cinematography and some Hollywood inspired stunts — you rock abroad. That seems to be the target of our directors and producers.
When we talk of true global recognition that Slumdog… has been honoured with, there is a need to think beyond the cliché and conceive subjects that are Indian. If that is the case, then why aren’t we zeroing in on what we actually should do so as to make a global impact? Says trade expert Taran Adarsh, “The success of Slumdog ... is actually a vindication of our stance that instead of trying to draw inspiration from Hollywood we are better off utilising our own resources.” If foreign filmmakers like Attenborough, Boyle and Mylan can win laurels with our issues, why can’t we? We certainly can but there is a need to change the outlook, as some experts feel. According to filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar who has made realistic films like Chandni Bar, Corporate, Traffic Signal and Fashion, “The success of Slumdog… should make us understand that there are plenty of subjects within India that can be captured on screen. The onus lies on us.” Adds Dasgupta, “Slumdog…actually proves that you can make our actors come out with performances that you have never seen before.”
Right subject
This is the most important criterion. If at the very beginning, we falter then no matter how much we spend our efforts will come a cropper. Not that we have a dearth of subjects, but to pick the right one is so essential. “There is something that we can bring back home after the Oscars. We can say with conviction that henceforth Indian films will be taken much more seriously than ever, but to do that we need to pick on the right subjects,” says young filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee who has made films like Khosla Ka Ghosla and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! There is definitely an attempt in this direction — films like A Wednesday and Delhi-6, and if we look back the Munnabhai series, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Rang De Basanti, Swades, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and even Chak De! India — they were fresh and truly Indian. There are directors like Shimit Amin, Rajkumar Hirani, Banerjee and Rakeysh Ompraksh Mehra who are trying to cash in on our roots. But it is just the beginning. As Banerjee says, “The subject has to have a reach. The real picture of the country will have to be showcased. Why not showcase the contradictions that despite a steady economic growth we have one of the highest poverty levels in India?” Adds, Kamlesh Pandey who wrote India’s 2006 entry to the Oscars Rang De Basanti , “There is a huge scope of issues that can have a global appeal. We should make an effort to reach out to the world and make people recognise our true potential.” To make it big, one has to spread the wings and ensure that the storyline has the right punch. And we also need to come out of the age- old notion that it is only off-beat films that win us critical acclaim. “Slumdog… is a masala film with all the ingredients. And it has worked big time,” says Adarsh. Elaborating on the subject issue, there are voices too completely out of tune with the mass euphoria. The subject of Slumdog Millionaire itself is under attack. Are we showcasing our poverty? Critics in the past had questioned the artistic excellence of some Indian masterpieces that had won foreign awards, on the same ground. Such a criticism tends to overlook the stark reality that foreigners are not unaware of the existence of acute poverty in the third world countries. They do not depend only on films to know about the living conditions of millions of Indians. Do we not go out with begging bowls to seek foreign aids? If the hungry masses living right before us on our streets and in squalid slums do not put us to shame, we may remain insouciant to what additional evidences of our poverty foreigners garner from films and derive satisfaction from our successes abroad. Didn’t we say choose the right story? Keeping this in mind, choice of story becomes extremely important.
Presentation and infrastructure
Just a subject wouldn’t do. One has to know how to present the story so that it appeals to the international audiences. “One has to give full credit to Danny and his team for excellently presenting the film that caught one’s eye,” says filmmaker Sudhir Mishra. “We are delighted but in the process we are focusing more on the Indian angle discounting Danny. One needs a good hand when it comes to executing your plans and Danny has succeeded on this front,” he adds. Both Banerjee and Mishra are of the view that one needs a lot of marketing support to make a global impact. “There has to be a strong distribution network which will ensure the film reaches the maximum,” says Mishra. True, if you look at the budget of Slumdog Millonaire, you would find that a huge portion of it was spent behind marketing the project. Bollywood Production houses like UTV, Percept, Yash Raj and others have a strong international network and it is time we went further with it. These production houses are backing strong subjects coming out of the minds of young and progressive filmmakers and one hopes that the process is expedited. Secondly, sending the right film to the Oscars is also crucial. “The success of Slumdog Millionaire should send signals to those who select the Indian entry every year. Choosing the right film with an open mind can lead us to the right direction,” adds Mishra. One has to agree with Mishra whose film Dharavi (1992) had dealt with the same subject that Slumdog…dealt with — the triumph of human spirit.
Looking ahead
Slumdog… and Smile Pinki have made us proud. It’s time we drew inspiration from their glory. Pandey points out, “I hope this is not an exception (referring to Slumdog Millionaire). We have the talent and Rahman, Gulzar and Pookutty have proved it. Let’s cash in on it and move on.” But the real pleasure would be when we have an Indian production winning the Oscars. We have better talents back home guys and we certainly can.
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