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WILL HE BOYCOTT THE OSCARS NOW?
I am happy for Slumdog: Aamir Khan
NDTVMovies.com
Monday, February 23, 2009 (New Delhi)
“I have seen Slumdog and the film didn’t work for me,” said actor Aamir Khan about Slumdog Millionaire even after it swept eight Oscars which included two for music maestro A R Rahman, Best Director for Danny Boyle and Best Sound Mixing for India’s Resul Pookutty.
“This is my personal view. I can understand why the film is being appreciated around the world because outside India people see it with a lot of fascination and feel quite engaged to the story. But for someone who lives here, the film goes over the top. Nevertheless, I am very happy that the people are liking the movie,” explained the actor, whose Taare Zameen Par didn’t make it to the Oscar nomination list this year.
But the actor was all praises for Resul Pookutty, who won the Oscar for Best Sound Mixing for Slumdog Millionaire. “I am thrilled to know that Resul has won the award. He is very talented guy, it is amazing and a very proud moment for all of us,” Aamir said.
Aamir also added, “It’s great to see that Indian talent is getting recognised abroad. Now the world has seen the work done by Indians. Resul is extermely meticulous and everytime tries to create fresh sounds. He really loves and enjoys his work and does it with a lot dedication.”
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Only thing SIK beat Rab ne was the 3 day Weekend,
28 cr vs 25 cr.
Hype for SIK was really ...
I see them every year in Manali.
But recently a few have re-appeared in my town. 
Housefull ATTBB,
BOI claimed 43 cr for SIK and 45 cr for RNBDJ..Then they cgnaged it to 39 cr for SIK ...
stop joking ihab.BOI said 43.77 crores for sik and 42 crores for rnbdj.Then they changed all the numbers.This was discussed ...
This year Akshay will give a reply to his distractors. While Karan's friends have started deserting his camp (Read Farha ...
Ihab
its ok.i did not find lakshya engaging enough.i liked it in parts.It was too slow and boring in second half. 
" Ihab,since you like Hrithik, would you like to elaborate on you watching Krrish 16 times in Theatres . "
Lol, ...
From being most common bird to their total disappearance from cities within a very short span of time (last 10-15 ...
what i comment about is my prerogative manoj - whether it disturbs you or not isnt my concern :-) 
lalsub 23 February 2009
11:42:24 am
Aamir’s one line blog posted this afternoon:
Jai Ho!
Feb,23,2009
Congratulations Rasul, Rahman and Gulzar Sahab. Well done.
Posted by Aamir Khan at 04:38 PM
neelu 23 February 2009
12:01:02 pm
Nothing about whether the Oscars will be boycotted now or not
A C H I L L E S 23 February 2009
12:07:34 pm
The first part worked for me … till Jamal grows up … and then the movie falls apart … i like the fact that Rahman is getting oscars, bafta, globe and everything … the irony is by Rahman standards SDM music is not even mediocre.
Shahid 23 February 2009
02:29:25 pm
Does anyone know of films that Aamir has liked? All I know is of the films that he has criticised. What are his ultimate favourites (Indian or worldwise)?
julie 23 February 2009
02:39:21 pm
The movie was made at a hairline budget of 8 mn STG. which was translated into a 100 mn STG at the BO. Obviously the film has made a cutting edge with the international film fraternity as well as cinegoers. With the accolade and projection that India (as a subject) has received at the Oscars, it would do our BW film fraternity some good to rise in graciousness and applaud the moment which is truly momentous instead of offering their two cents.
julie 23 February 2009
02:41:53 pm
Exactly shahid. Anyways there is a time and place for opinions. Today’s moment belongs to te SDM team and I just don’t mean AR Rehman and Resul. I mean the entire team.
A C H I L L E S 23 February 2009
02:58:30 pm
He likes all the films he has acted in and produced.
neelu 23 February 2009
05:34:19 pm
He really praised Kidnap and Imraan’s role in it – six months ago that was the news from Imraan!
johnnybrutal 23 February 2009
08:09:26 pm
this is shocking to say the least, he attended the premier of sdm which was aired on zoom tv and he said that it’s an amazing movie and now this?
My name is Beld 23 February 2009
08:48:36 pm
the majority opinion in India is that this movie isnt that good. Yes – probably yesterday is not the day to talk about the movie’s shortcomings – but on a larger point – it goes back to the argument that looking for an oscar for an indian movie is a waste of time imo. not because one cant get it – but i dont think its worth it. Sensibilites are very different and no oscar jury will consider a good indian movie – liked in India – worthy of an oscar. Someone tell me – would Sholay, DDLJ, Deewaar, Lagaan etc get an Oscar. It wouldnt – so why bother imo. Oscar is a foreign award for foreign movies – lets not make it the pinnacle for Indian movies
A C H I L L E S 23 February 2009
08:52:56 pm
Fuck the oscars n aamir’s greed for bagging one!
utkal 23 February 2009
09:08:39 pm
‘Nothing about whether the Oscars will be boycotted now or not.” I dont know why the question at all? He has not raise any about the process of selection at Oscars. In fact about the film itself, he has said that he can understand why the foreigners like it so much. He ahd parise No Man’s Land, the film tat won against Lagaan.
Nothing unususl abot Slumdog not working for him. It is a fact that the film hasn’t worked with many Indians. It is also a fact that audiences, not only jury members worldwide have genuinely embraced the film. Nothing controversial about it.
utkal 23 February 2009
09:13:21 pm
‘Someone tell me – would Sholay, DDLJ, Deewaar, Lagaan etc get an Oscar. It wouldnt – so why bother imo. Oscar is a foreign award for foreign movies – lets not make it the pinnacle for Indian movies.”
Out of the films above Lgaan could have made it. Let’s not forget it made it to the Top %. That’s the achievement of Lagaan. It was not a movie designed for Oscars. It was a movie made with Bollywood grammar, 6 lip-synced songs and all, for the Indian audiences, among whom it was a huge success. Yet it score so well with the International critics and juries.
Agreed it cannot be done every year. Such movies come once in a decade.
But an Oscar is certainly worth aspiring for. Look at the spurt in footfalls in India for Slumdog, in its 5th week after the Oscars were announced.
Som 23 February 2009
09:22:57 pm
Lagaan to me just like SDM was a superbly written and realized film.It is a different matter that It lost out to No Man’s Land, the film which I thought was bit superior to Lagaan.Having said that, Lagaan making it to top 5 was itself a huge achievement.And let us not forget, the competition in the “Best Foreign Language” is usually very very tough.
My name is Beld 23 February 2009
09:24:55 pm
utkal – it was nominated for Foreign film and herein lies the catch. If our best cannot make it to the mainstream – then why bother. Spurt in footfalls in India ?? Not really. Yes – it definitely brought a bigger audience but thats not too many people. I believe unlike the common saying – movies do not have an universal language. Indian movies are made for and enjoyed by the South Asian diaspora at home and abroad. They would rarely be recognized by the Oscar jury etc.
Tiger 23 February 2009
09:34:14 pm
Arrogance at its worst!That is the sour grapes theorist cum Aamir for you.It is hightime he starts boycotting the oscars in all spheres. Now I know Aamir is just one lucky guy who happens to have successful films recently.If anyone tells me that he has an admirable script-choosing ability then this attitude to SDM should make that person think otherwise.If Aamir can neither predict a successful movie or even appreciate the its success then he needs to quit bollywood.Even the slum kids in the movie knew it was oscar material.
utkal 23 February 2009
09:53:10 pm
‘If Aamir can neither predict a successful movie or even appreciate the its success then he needs to quit Bollywood.’
Tiger, Amir hasn’t failed on any of these counts. All he has said is that the film did not work for him. That shows remarkable script sense because judging by the BO in India, in spite of the massive hype, it hasn’t worked too well for most Indians. As far as celebrating the success, where ave you found wanting in congratulating the winners?
neelu 23 February 2009
09:59:22 pm
Because he says the film goes over the top! Is that even reasonable for a BW personality where almost every film goes over the top? Was Ghajini not over the top? And did it not work? When Aamir went to the Indian premiere of SM, he was all praises for the film when he was hanging out with Danny Boyle.
rockstar 23 February 2009
10:01:55 pm
hats off to aamir khan and i mean it
rockstar 23 February 2009
10:05:48 pm
“Aamir also added, “It’s great to see that Indian talent is getting recognised abroad. Now the world has seen the work done by Indians. Resul is extermely meticulous and everytime tries to create fresh sounds. ”
exactly i am happy that indian got the recognition but slumdog winning the best movie is absolute shocker and this is what majority of indians feel so
“But for someone who lives here, the film goes over the top. Nevertheless, I am very happy that the people are liking the movie”
exactly itsa just another masala fare and whats more hillarious is description of some people describing it as realistic moviw
rockstar 23 February 2009
10:06:40 pm
“Aamir also added, “It’s great to see that Indian talent is getting recognised abroad. Now the world has seen the work done by Indians. Resul is extermely meticulous and everytime tries to create fresh sounds. ”
exactly i am happy that indian got the recognition but slumdog winning the best movie is absolute shocker and this is what majority of indians feel so
“But for someone who lives here, the film goes over the top. Nevertheless, I am very happy that the people are liking the movie”
exactly its just another masala fare and whats more hillarious is description of some people describing it as realistic movie
rockstar 23 February 2009
10:14:12 pm
good to see guys like aamir khan are coming out and openly speaking their mind
what was special in slumdog?
it doesn’t even deserved a nomination on oscars first in best movie category
RAJ 23 February 2009
10:16:06 pm
Rockstar,
Aamir might be right but he choose the wrong occasion to do that…
Kaveetaa Kaul 23 February 2009
10:16:44 pm
Julie the budget of SDM was 15 million dollars which may be considered ’small’ with reference to HW but for Bollywood this a majorly decent amount especially considering the abysmal budgets we are made to operate under and expect to compete with mega budget films.. not that we have been unsuccessful in having churned out hugely watchable stuff in half the cost.
I do agree with Aamir in his contention’ that the film didnt work for me’. The film was definitely not worthy of Best picture considering the fact that a film like ‘Life is Beautiful” is in the list of previous years winner. It doesnt belong in that league. The first half was engrossing because of its technical values. The second half was a disappointing mish mash of implausibility with Bollywood ‘formula’ from the 70’s. Although I do agree with some here that after a film like Ghajini Aamir ought to watch his words.
Kaveetaa Kaul 23 February 2009
10:21:43 pm
http://entertainment.timesonli.....785654.ece
Budget of SDM.
rockstar 23 February 2009
10:25:40 pm
kaveeta: ghajini never claimed to be masterpiece infact it was openly described by aamir as masala fare
aamir even on premiere said this bluntly
its not an indian movie
the same aamir khan made lagaan which was the first movie to get western recognition
rockstar 23 February 2009
10:30:02 pm
“The second half was a disappointing mish mash of implausibility with Bollywood ‘formula’ from the 70’s.”
there cann’t be a better description than this
its just a refined version of salim -javed’s masala movie of 70’s as was told by priyadarshan but hey he faced the flak in some quarters
quite frankly slumdog is just another mediocre movie which does not deserve nomination to
neelu 23 February 2009
10:30:41 pm
Aamir praised Slumdog at the premiere. It was not awarded an Oscar for being an INDIAN movie. It was a movie about India, just like Gandhi was. And for many it was a film about hope and that is what made it resonate with people all over the world.
Kaveetaa Kaul 23 February 2009
10:32:10 pm
Rockstar since Lagaan came from Aamir is exactly the befuddlement that Ghajini too is part of his filmography. Frankly masala fare ought not to be a canopy under which flaws can be so protected. Using the same scale Danny Boyle may well claim the same for SDM.
But both films have done remarkably well at the BO. Perhaps it is meant to prove to Aamir and others now that its not necessarily successful that is meritorious.I say Aamir since he spoke up about SDM, although like mentioned earlier, he isnt wrong.
rockstar 23 February 2009
10:35:18 pm
“Using the same scale Danny Boyle may well claim the same for SDM.”
but kaveetaji how many describe it as masala fare more hillarious is the description of SDM as realistic movie by many
neelu 23 February 2009
10:37:01 pm
It is a mix of realism (first half) and masala (second half) – was Lagaan realistic?
rockstar 23 February 2009
10:41:20 pm
“I do agree with Aamir in his contention’ that the film didnt work for me’. The film was definitely not worthy of Best picture considering the fact that a film like ‘Life is Beautiful” is in the list of previous years winner”
agree with you here again infact this was my comment yesterday slumdog winning is absolute shocker
Kaveetaa Kaul 23 February 2009
10:42:29 pm
Speaking of ‘Masal fare”..Isnt SDM exactly that with its gamut of songs, filmy situations, warring brothers, underworld Dons and molls, rags to riches story? So in other words Oscars subscribes to masal as well. Jai Ho Bollywood.Soon Brad Pitt will be frolicking around the Alps with Angelina. So another first from India to the world aeons after the cipher. ( btw this is menat to be purely tongue in cheek..am quite mad over our better films having been ignored by the Oscars for generations now and this sudden acceptance of a film which we have outgrown long back)
julie 23 February 2009
10:45:51 pm
Kaveeta 15 mn USD at the exchange rate of early 2008 (1.92) translates to a budget of 8 mn STG. It is a hairline budget for a British film. It is not an Indian film made by an Indian, but the subject is India. Hence it is by qualification not a BW film although the film is replete with ample shades and ingredients of a BW film.
Anyhow the point I tried to make is that this was not the occasion to critique a film, but extend words of appreciation and I don’t just mean to Rehman and Resul but to the entire team including Boyle. Aamir is out of sync in critiquing it at this moment, especially at the backdrop of having himself recently been a part of the masala no brainer Ghajini.
rockstar 23 February 2009
10:50:56 pm
“Speaking of ‘Masal fare”..Isnt SDM exactly that with its gamut of songs, filmy situations, warring brothers, underworld Dons and molls, rags to riches story?”
it is no 2 ways about it
rockstar 23 February 2009
10:53:08 pm
kaveetaji:
and for this indian movies are ridiculed in west only and many of them blidly don’t get nomination
just a britishers made the same theme now its a masterpiece pathetic to say the least
rockstar 23 February 2009
10:53:47 pm
*blindly*
Kaveetaa Kaul 23 February 2009
10:54:10 pm
“Anyhow the point I tried to make is that this was not the occasion to critique a film, but extend words of appreciation and I don’t just mean to Rehman and Resul but to the entire team including Boyle.”
Why is this occasion any different from the previous years when a BW film swept the Oscars Julie? I dont understand.SDM is a film based and shot in India. That is about all. Its not even about India. Words of appreciation should be then extended to all categories and award winners at the Oscars this year or the previous years. Danny boyle included, only from this all embracing perspective and no other.
Kaveetaa Kaul 23 February 2009
10:56:59 pm
“and for this indian movies are ridiculed in west only and many of them blindly don’t get nomination ”
Absolutely.. So far we have been summarily dismissed barring a few exceptions.
julie 23 February 2009
11:01:23 pm
Kaveeta let me put it conversely. If people can’t appreciate a moment of glory they should (and I mean Aamir in this instance since this is not the first time he has come out in print critiquing films openly), just be tacit. But if you feel Aamir has the right to critique, I have the right to critique his opinion too.
Anhyhow this is my last word on this topic.
neelu: “And for many it was a film about hope and that is what made it resonate with people all over the world.”
Agreed.
Kaveetaa Kaul 23 February 2009
11:04:15 pm
“Kaveeta 15 mn USD at the exchange rate of early 2008 (1.92) translates to a budget of 8 mn STG. It is a hairline budget for a British film. It is not an Indian film made by an Indian, but the subject is India. Hence it is by qualification not a BW film although the film is replete with ample shades and ingredients of a BW film.”
I am quite aware it is a BW film and Danny Boyle is not an Indian. My reason in quoting the budget vis a vis BW was to emphasis on the fact that creativity sometimes is bound by paucity of resources which is a perpetual occurrence in India. So any attempt to tom tom about the smallness of SDms budget should not be used as a handicap in its favour, especially since we consider it a reasonably good budget and have churned out equally good if not better films with lesser resources. Danny was shooting in India with Indian conditions.. like the rest of BW so the paramaters of shooting constraints was the same.Therefore the analogy.
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:05:25 pm
awarding mediocrity does not add to glory
glad some indians who where associated with this british-american movie got the recognition because of western tag
slumdog winning the best movie does not have anything to do with bollywood or india frankly infact it further exposes many things
Kaveetaa Kaul 23 February 2009
11:06:58 pm
‘not’ a BW film”
neelu 23 February 2009
11:08:58 pm
“Danny was shooting in India with Indian conditions.. like the rest of BW so the paramaters of shooting constraints was the same.Therefore the analogy.”
But Danny’s team had many non-Indians and they carry an expense that cannot compare to their Indian counterparts. What would Danny’s remuneration have been compared to a good Indian director? No one answered my question – was Lagaan realistic?
Kaveetaa Kaul 23 February 2009
11:10:17 pm
‘awarding mediocrity does not add to glory
glad some indians who where associated with this british-american movie got the recognition because of western tag
slumdog winning the best movie does not have anything to do with bollywood or india frankly infact it further exposes many things”
Insightful Rockstar. Well said.
And come to think of it I can barely quote a BW film which was NOT about ‘hope’.
neelu 23 February 2009
11:12:11 pm
It is good to see people suddenly worried about mediocrity winning at the Oscars. I heard no complaints when the remake of Infernal Affairs (The Departed) got Scorcese his first Oscar while the original was never good enough to even be best a Foreign Film nomination. The awards have always been suspect – all awards are. It is just that with Lagaan’s nomination Aamir held the Oscars up as worthy awards while he mocked the Indian ones. I was not joking when I asked if he would now shun the Oscars.
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:13:19 pm
say it more appropriately its not an indian movie
lagaan was realistic because of its theme and character sketch
it portrayed leadership ……….human way of life as methapor
visual description of chmaparan village of 1893 was classic
and ys lagaan was an indian movie to core and it lost to a better product which was again many times better than sdm
neelu 23 February 2009
11:13:33 pm
All BW films may be about hope, but not all are as well made at SM. Nor do they all get sent to the Academy as entries.
julie 23 February 2009
11:14:15 pm
before I log off, rockstar : ‘awarding mediocrity does not add to glory’
The international film fraternity and global audience hardly considers it mediocre, far from it. Otherwise the film would have hardly cut ice with so many.
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:14:50 pm
http://www.hindustantimes.com/.....line=I+don
(mr khan just a month back)
Aamir also negated the Western made Indian film controversy surrounding Danny Boyle’s Oscar-nominated underdog drama Slumdog Millionaire.
“I don’t see Slumdog… as an Indian film. I think it is a film about India like Gandhi (that) was made by Sir Richard Attenborough. Similarly, Slumdog… is about India but it is not an Indian film.
“I hope it does well in (the) Academy (awards). I don’t think it’s got to do anything with India or abroad. Filmmakers are creative people and they are storytellers. They are telling us a story. I don’t think Slumdog… is making an attempt to show the underbelly of India or that may be its selling point,” he explained.
neelu 23 February 2009
11:15:56 pm
“lagaan was realistic because of its theme and character sketch
it portrayed leadership ……….human way of life as methapor
visual description of chmaparan village of 1893 was classic
and ys lagaan was an indian movie to core and it lost to a better product which was again many times better than sdm”
Lagaan was a paint by numbers sketch, unrealistic as the British were NOT playing “cricket” in India and the ultimate hopeful message was unreal in a country where the British were squeezing the life blood out of the country. If visual description of Champaran village was classic, then was visual depiction of slums in SM UNREAL?
utkal 23 February 2009
11:16:53 pm
‘utkal – it was nominated for Foreign film and herein lies the catch. ‘ Beld there is no catch there , the category is aclled ‘ Best film in a Foreign Language” . Eve Bergman and Fellini’s films have won in this category and not the main section. An Oscar in this category is definitely worth aspiring for. Tell me, which filmmaker worth his salt won’t like to belong to a club that has Bergman, Fellini, truffautt, Bondarchak, Kurosawa, Vittoria De Sica, Costa-Gravas, and Ang Lee as its members? The point is you dont make a film to win an Oscar, none of these makers did. You make a film,because you want to, and then because it is so brilliant, so innovative, that even if it is in a foreign language, the American film establishment, the premier one in the world, rewards you. That’s what happened to Crouching Tiger. that’s what happened to Lagaan.
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:17:26 pm
“The international film fraternity and global audience hardly considers it mediocre, far from it”
point to be corrected no its some elite
many hw masala earns many to in bo but that does not mean they should be awarded oscar
infact oscar had never nothing to do with bo
neelu 23 February 2009
11:17:41 pm
Where in that HT article did he say it was loud and did not work for him?
Kaveetaa Kaul 23 February 2009
11:18:24 pm
“But Danny’s team had many non-Indians and they carry an expense that cannot compare to their Indian counterparts. What would Danny’s remuneration have been compared to a good Indian director?”
Neelu none of us can and need to answer for the choice of budget for SDM. That is purely an feasible, workable, economic consideration between the Producers and Boyle. Its not as if one gets extra brownie points for a lesser budget, They were perhaps ruling out chances of no recovery in case the film bombs. Who knows? Danny Boyle or Mani ratnam..the same film could have been made by an Indian in India very comfortably. If Danny boyle wishes to charge an astronomical sum or does his team how does that legitimise the budget argument?
In any case when one refers to budgetary considerations one often alludes to shooting budget only.
Was Lagaan realistic? I dont know the point you are trying to make. You answer that. It was for me more ‘real’ than SDM.. if one takes the backkdrop and execution, incidents and characters into account.
neelu 23 February 2009
11:19:42 pm
Slumdog did not get an Oscar nomination BECAUSE it was a success at the BO! It became a success after winning awards and getting nominations. That is why it picked up India too after the win.
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:20:36 pm
i as talking about how much indian is sdm not about content here
lagaan anyday was way more realistic than sdm
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:22:04 pm
chai wala attendind calls in call center
fan arriving in shit to meet his idol
lol there are many sequences like that and its realistic
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:24:24 pm
in fili stlye kbc host insult his collegue and give wrong ansrwers and detain him just because he is from slum
this is real realism i forgot
in bw term we call it as masala
neelu 23 February 2009
11:25:59 pm
I would say that Lagaan is fantasy all the way and SM is part fantasy. The slums in SM are way more real than any recreation of a Champaran Village in the Gujarat desert. Chaiwal answering calls is as real as cripple becoming spin bowler.
Kaveetaa Kaul 23 February 2009
11:27:41 pm
“Slumdog did not get an Oscar nomination BECAUSE it was a success at the BO! It became a success after winning awards and getting nominations. That is why it picked up India too after the win.”
Thats not correct. SDM colected over a 100 milion BEFORE the nominations. .will try and find a corroborative link. In any case I dont know where this thread is going. Arguments and counter as if frog jumping aimlessly lol.. And I am too frumpy now to skip along. Maybe another time. Got to go guys.. Nice talking. had to get some things off my chest.
neelu 23 February 2009
11:28:16 pm
Do we know the inner workings of any game show? If you care then please seek out the film Quiz Show and watch it – it IS based on a true story and is a great film too. You will find it illuminating.
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:28:21 pm
“Lagaan was a paint by numbers sketch, unrealistic as the British were NOT playing “cricket” in India and the ultimate hopeful message was unreal in a country where the British were squeezing the life blood out of the country. “ust a correction they where cricket was introduced as colonial sport in india …………many elites and raja and maharaja used to play that(e.g maharaja ranjit singh ……..grace)
when british where squezzing they introduced many others things so
neelu 23 February 2009
11:30:03 pm
Kavita – I would like to see numbers before the nominations came in, and I do not mean Oscars, but Globes, SAGs etc. The film had a small release and was only showing in art-house cinemas before catching on. I do not know where this going either – I am merely responding.
neelu 23 February 2009
11:31:46 pm
“the British were NOT playing “cricket” in India”
I was NOT alluding to the game of cricket – but rather to the term “That is NOT cricket”!
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:32:25 pm
lbringing down lagaan will not do anything
it was indian in heart and better than sdm
“I would say that Lagaan is fantasy all the way and SM is part fantasy. The slums in SM are way more real than any recreation of a Champaran Village in the Gujarat desert. Chaiwal answering calls is as real as cripple becoming spin bowler”
another correction :a bent arm murlitharan is the biggest spinner in world today just see the thought process
RAJ 23 February 2009
11:37:19 pm
All of a sudden the “”mediocrity” about Oscars crops up only because a certain aamir khan says so ,subtly…Not long ago some of our freinds here championing Oscars as fair and what not..These are the same one who were mocking indian awards….
Coming back to the movie ..I liked SDM immensly although i always thought its not a masterpeice…But Having said that ,what is this with aamir….This guy is helbent on mocking everything and anything except ofcourse his own work….
We all know Aamirs’ credintials as an actor and we respect that ..But sometimes you have to give respect to others, to be respected….
utkal 23 February 2009
11:37:37 pm
What is it about ‘realstic’ and fantasy? who says that only realistic films are good? Why should art be realistic? Is Picasso realistic? Is Dali realistic? Is Pulp Fiction realistic? Is Singing in The rain realistic? Labels don’t help. Thee are god films, great film in every genre.
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:38:19 pm
“Arguments and counter as if frog jumping aimlessly lol.. And I am too frumpy now to skip along”
lol kaveeta ji just replied to some anyway me off to
nice talking to you as always
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:40:15 pm
exactly u said it utkal appropriately
and in terms on content sdm is no where close to any movie you mentioned
Som 23 February 2009
11:44:13 pm
“What is it about ‘realstic’ and fantasy? who says that only realistic films are good? Why should art be realistic? Is Picasso realistic? Is Dali realistic? Is Pulp Fiction realistic? Is Singing in The rain realistic? Labels don’t help. Thee are god films, great film in every genre.”
Absolutely agreed! SDM to me was a very well written and executed contemporary fable. As I have said it before Boyle’s unapologetic tributes to Bollywood masala allures and makes us embrace the implausibility without any resentment.
Kaveetaa Kaul 23 February 2009
11:44:15 pm
Neelu..read here detailedly. One normally writes something on a public forum only after being sure of its veracity. I would politely advise you to do the same.
Gotta go.
Kaveetaa Kaul 23 February 2009
11:45:45 pm
Gosh..in a hurry..forgot the link.here its is
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slumdog_Millionaire
Anytime Rockstar .. YOU ROCK!
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:46:42 pm
http://economictimes.indiatime.....181116.cms
However, sales of DVDs are now slumping, while the Blu-Ray format meant to succeed the DVD is nowhere near as popular. Combine that with the debilitating recession and critics from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal have been predicting the demise of the US arthouse movie.
Slumdog…” success certainly decreased the evening’s drama content – but it remains clear that the vast majority of potential film fans are too busy Facebooking, video-gaming, texting or otherwise multi-tasking their way through modern life to devote three hours to watching a film competition filled with overpaid and overdressed movie stars.
“I guess reinventing the Oscars is harder than it looks,” noted Oscar guru Patrick Goldstein in the Los Angeles Times. Like many others he puzzled over the “awkward, listless and underwhelming” cabaret numbers, the nostalgic screening of past acceptance speeches, and the boring and long-winded tributes paid to each of the acting nominees.
neelu 23 February 2009
11:47:22 pm
Someone here called SM unrealistic – so why is realism in question when it comes to SM but not to Picasso, Dali or Lagaan? So a bent arm bowler is good, but a game show host cannot be crooked? WATCH The Quiz show! This argument is going no where and all this effort expended to support Aamir’s stupid sour-grapes comments.
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:48:11 pm
The big question is whether any new format or presenter can really save the Oscars. Or maybe it needs a new class of film – one that combines Hollywood’s blockbuster skills with the globally relevant film-making arts perfected by “Slumdog…”.
in nutshell what sales is giving way to quality
rockstar 23 February 2009
11:50:52 pm
kavetaji:Studios were usually willing to go along with producing smaller films with supposedly strong Oscar chances because of the prestige involved in winning the ultimate prize and the prospect that the victorious movie would recoup its outlay on strong DVD sales.
thats what i mean commerciality and mediocrity gives way to quality
anyway i am off finally
neelu 23 February 2009
11:55:16 pm
Kaveeta – I would politely advise you to not patronize me. I was merely asking for facts. Here is what your wiki link says:
“Slumdog Millionaire debuted with a limited North American release on 12 November 2008, followed by a nationwide release in the United States on 23 January 2009.[33]
In its first week, the film grossed an “impressive” $350,434 in 10 theatres, a “strong” average of $35,043 per theatre.[34] In its second weekend, it expanded to 32 theatres and made $947,795, or an average of $29,619 per theatre, representing a drop of only 16%.[35] In the 10 original theatres that it was released in, viewership went up 16%, and this is attributed to strong word-of-mouth.[36] The film opened in wide release on 26 December 2008 at 614 theaters and grossed $4,301,870. In the weekend of 23-25 January 2009, the film reached the widest release at 1,411 theaters. As of 22 February 2009, the film has grossed $98,020,000 at the North American box office.[1]”
This suggests a small release, that grew slowly by WOM. Before you accuse me of jumping around like a frog in a well (may I politely request you to not put people down in this way – we are on a forum and supposedly this “fun”), this is in response to rockstar accusing SM of winning awards due to its BO success. This was not your summer blockbuster type of film.
utkal 24 February 2009
12:33:51 am
“Someone here called SM unrealistic – so why is realism in question when it comes to SM but not to Picasso, Dali or Lagaan? So a bent arm bowler is good, but a game show host cannot be crooked?”
What juvenile discussion. “realistic’ has been passe foe ages. Is Trainspotting realistic? Is Dev D realistic? Is Crouching Tiger realistic? Come on. Labels have changed years back. These films and Slumdog are neither realistic or fantastic in the conventional sense of the words.
And I don’t sense any sour grapes element in Amir’s comments. It didn’t work for him. But he ahs no problem with its global acceptance. and he acknowledges it.
As to Slumdog’s global acceptance there is no question about it. One Oscar jury can go awry. But judges of BAFTA Golden Globe? All cannot be wrong. and look up the reviews at IMDB. More than 90% of them have above 8 rating. And the paying public that has forked out 150uSD and still counting. you cannot question their collective integrity. In India the acceptance hasn’t been that universal. But enough people have liked it.
neelu 24 February 2009
12:44:48 am
“And I don’t sense any sour grapes element in Amir’s comments. It didn’t work for him. ”
That only became clear the DAY after it won – till then and after the premiere he was all praises. See his HT comment. I did not question SM’s realism or lack thereof, but others on this thread did!
utkal 24 February 2009
12:57:26 am
For those who question the importance of being Oscar winner and the lack of acceptance of Slumdog in India:
MUMBAI: Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire is continuing its steady run at the global box office and has even picked pace in India after the Academy Awards were announced on 22 February.
The movie has grossed $ 86.54 million at the international box office with India contributing Rs 300 million (Rs 30 crores) from just 350 screens.
Slumdog Millionaire will rank amongst the Top 100 best opening weeks of all time in India and the movie’s collections till date have surpassed the lifetime box office figures in India for The Dark Knight and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
As was already reported by Businessofcinema.com, the movie had better opening weekend collections at the box office than movies like Rock On and Jab We Met.
Moreover, the Hindi version has contributed to two thirds of box office revenue for the film in India. In addition, Slumdog has delivered the biggest opening weekend for any FOX release in India ever.
Fox Star Studios India CEO Vijay Singh said, “This international movie with an Indian soul has had a dream run so far. The film has delivered beyond our expectations in the Indian market. It is running strong in its fifth week with over 430 shows in 223 screens across the country.”
“Slumdog has surprised us – the Hindi version a typical Bollywood film has touched the hearts of the viewers across the Hindi belt and we are seeing the numbers increasing day by day from the single screens as well,” added North India distributor Sanjay Ghai of Mukta Arts.
Fame India corporate sales and programming AVP distribution Aditya Shroff said, “We are playing both the versions in our plexes and both are doing equally well, we expect the film to have a long life.”
manoj16_391 24 February 2009
01:19:13 am
Achilles,
“He likes all the films he has acted in and produced”
Almost spot on! I would say,
He likes ONLY the films he has acted in and produced.
rockstar 24 February 2009
01:21:44 am
“Slumdog has surprised us – the Hindi version a typical Bollywood film has touched the hearts of the viewers across the Hindi belt”
yes it is just another masala movie mostly liked in the north
rockstar 24 February 2009
01:22:51 am
slumdog was called realistic by many slumdog admirers only even in press
julie 24 February 2009
01:27:37 am
neelu – I would suggest give up debating on this topic. The film has had a far reaching impact amidst the international fraternity and viewers. All a few can do (like Aamir) is make noise just like he has been doing for every other film (Black, Jodhaa Akbar, LBC) and god knows how many others and he will find his set of supporters.
neelu 24 February 2009
01:30:21 am
Agreed Julie! Aamir can only like his own films, and his own acting, he is surprisingly stingy with praise for anything that he is not associated with. It is also strange that he mentions Resool but not A R Rahman in his praise of Indian talent getting appreciated!
rockstar 24 February 2009
01:32:34 am
film has a far reaching impact amomg certain elites
various factors including recession and the movie which gets more eyeball is getting recognition even some sensible in media is recognising that
slum by the way allready has supporters
people are calling it as indian movie or a congress is saying slumdon won oscar because of that
its good to know various hypothesis
julie 24 February 2009
01:34:22 am
“various factors including recession and the movie which gets more eyeball is getting recognition even some sensible in media is recognising that ”
Don’t know what you are saying here rockstar. You have clearly lost me with this argument. Are you saying that recession has helped the movie????
julie 24 February 2009
01:35:46 am
and how can you dub this as finding taste only with the elite. there are many Indians in Britain who don’t exactly fall in that elite bracket who have appreciated and supported the film. So again not a very convincing argument.
rockstar 24 February 2009
01:42:21 am
julie :because i have brought up in these movie and the movie which is getting recognition just because it is in english and made by a british and is a western movie the basic structure of that has been qustioned and ridiculed in past
anyway each has its own perception
My name is Beld 24 February 2009
02:13:38 am
utkal – lets agree to disagree on this. In my opinion, Oscar is too trite for the Indian film industry to try for. I would go to the extent of saying that it is highly highly unlikely that any Indian movie could win an Oscar and be successful in India. I just think the tastes are vastly different. Yes – once in a while a Swades or Lagaan or Mother India would make it to the list of foreign films (why foreign films I ask) but tell me one movie that made it to the mainstream. Utkal – you prove what i am trying to say with the example you gave of Crouching Tiger… Or Life is Beautiful – both were nominated in the mainstream categories – not in the 2nd rate “Foreign Film” category – which no one gives a hoot about!
Raj – u said it best. Maybe aamir is right but this was the wrong time to say it!
My name is Beld 24 February 2009
02:16:28 am
btw – i daresay aamir has replaced SRK as the most debated star on NG
— Blame it on the economy..
Another metric to prove that Aamir is well on his way to take the no 1 spot from SRK….
Kaveeta/Julie – first time i am seeing a heated debate from both of you
Tiger 24 February 2009
02:56:23 am
It is interesting to note that Aamir commands the greatest number of bootlickers or blind followers at NG.It is just like the bootlicking game between the so-called rich western world and the aid-dependent third world.If the US says Bin Laden is a terrorist, Europe and Australia will follow suit while the third world is ever ready to dance! After two seconds if the US retracts its stand it is ditto for Europe and Australia while it is ‘YES BOSS’ for the world.
The same pattern is observed here.When Aamir says “this” the blind bats follow even if it is wrong and after one microsecond if he says “that” about the same subject they change and still follow.When Aamir was boycotting awards due to frustration and envy, he did the right thing for some but now that he has started accepting the same thing he has been boycotting and trashing he is right on the penny for the same people! For those people Aamir is the yardstick for excellence!See how intelligent some people are?
Zen 24 February 2009
03:26:02 am
This type of statement is expected from Aamir and does not surprise me at all. One could have argued for him that he is just giving his opinion. But he was already asked about SDM few months back and he never said such; all he said was that it is not a BW movie, and I agreed with him. Now on this thread some have suggested that he was covered on Zoom TV, lavishing praise on the movie. If that is true, we are underestimating his hypocrisy, and I doubt that Zoom TV remark.
Coming back to why this is a typical statement from Aamir, he was the one who criticised Black, rather unfairly on the eve of TZP’s release. He is the one who said that Memento did not work for him, when he was busy remaking its ripoff. He is the one who boycotted filmfare in 1995, mind you not in 1988-92, as if overnight filmfare suddenly became hoax. So it is a trademark of his atitude to NOW say SDM did not work for him.
SDM did not work for Aamir Khan because:
A. It won 8 oscars with bollywood masala content whilst TZP was deemed unworthy of a nomination
B. It was first offered to SRK and later made Anil Kapoor the toast of much revered western awards by a certain superstar.
C. Resul Pokkooty, AR Rehman and Gulzar became the first indians to win oscars
D. All of the above
If you have been following Aamir’s reactions to succesful movies, you guess is as good as mine
Aarohi 24 February 2009
04:50:07 am
First Indian to win an Oscar is Bhanu Athaiya.
sv 24 February 2009
07:25:05 am
Aarohi,that award was shared with someone else.So that makes SDM winners the first Indians to win oscar.
Aamir Khan always wanted awards.If he wins,it is fair,if he didn’t win it is unfair.I did not like his films exept for JJWS.He is someone who regards himself very highly,and gives too much importance to himself.
Can he play the role that Anil Kapoor played in SDM?He is not capable of that.
Anil Kapoor should have been nominated as the best supporting actor.That was the only thing which was missing in a total victory for SDM.
Aarohi 24 February 2009
07:34:19 am
sv: I don’t agree. First is a first. Even Resul’s award is shared.
utkal 24 February 2009
07:59:21 am
Sv, when did Amir ever say Oscars are unfair? all he said was that the film did not work for him. Even Salman Rishdie said the same thing. And he has nothing to do with Oscars. why should motives be imputed ? He said “It’s great to see that Indian talent is getting recognized abroad. So he does acknowledge the value of Oscars. And he does not consider them unfair.
neelu 24 February 2009
09:32:06 am
1. Beld – Crouching Tiger was nominated in Best Foreign language film. It did win some awards in the general category – butt the big one was best foreign language film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=channel
2. Right on Zen – the answer is all of the above.
3. Utkal – for someone associated with Ghajini to call SM over the top is hypocrisy of the first order. Earlier when he was hanging out with Danny Boyle he had no such comment to make.
Som 24 February 2009
09:40:14 am
Crouching Tiger was one of the few foreign language films which had few nominations in the mainstream category at the Oscars.If I remember it correctly It had like 9-10 nominations out of which It won in 4.
sv 24 February 2009
10:21:26 am
Aarohi,then that makes A.R.Rehman,Gulzar first Indians to win solo oscar.
S T R E E T 24 February 2009
11:38:39 am
Excellent post there Zen .. agree on all accounts.
Rocky 24 February 2009
08:07:46 pm
whether you request politely, or Justly or Loudly or softly or bend on your knees , Kuch log nahin manenge, kuch na kuch ladne ka bahana nikaal hee lenge !!
ala- aapkee himmat kaise hui hamse itne pyar se baat karne kee !!
Aarohi 24 February 2009
08:25:21 pm
sv: What about Ray? Or we don’t count lifetime achievement Oscars
ritz 1 March 2009
04:33:35 pm
Ah I missed this discussion.
There is nothing objectionable in what aamir said here…..but the number of comments clearly tells something is burning. He is really number 1 now.
ritz 1 March 2009
04:37:42 pm
“for someone associated with Ghajini to call SM over the top is hypocrisy of the first order. Earlier when he was hanging out with Danny Boyle he had no such comment to make.”
Aamir wud not expect Ghajini to go to oscars – he is clear in his mind where films like Ghajini Ishq RH and Mela stand.
And secondly none of NG members were with Aamir when he was with Danny to prove whether he actually told him that it was over the top film on face. Aamir must have done it – he had told Amitabh way back in 2005 that Black was over the top. The only thing is it was not publised — how do I know? Well Amitabh said it in an interview in 2008.