So this is the day. All Many eyes on the Kodak theater to see how many awards Slumdog Millionaire will take home.
I confess I’ve lost interest in the awards in recent years, but tonight I’ll definitely be tuning in.
Afterward, I’ve been asked to join a SAJA/SAMMA webcast on BlogTalkRadio to discuss the film, the hoopla around it (pro and con), and the results of this evening’s Academy Awards.
You can listen in, and join in, here at 11:30pm (NY time).
The poster above is from Cannes last year. I kinda wish they would have stuck with it instead of the one used now, which I find very blah, for such a vibrant film.
UPDATE: 8 Academy Awards in total. I’m totally chuffed for A.R. Rahman. The 6 kids were adorable on the red carpet. I hope that Slumdog‘s success leads to people wanting to know more about Indian film. In an upcoming Anil Kapoor interview that I did for Khabar magazine, he lists the films that newcomers to his work should watch. Meanwhile, here’s a terrific primer on Hindi cinema that the venerable Amitava Kumar did recently for Vanity Fair, in the wake of Slumdog.
I find myself reminiscing to Oscars 1987 when everyone was rooting for Salaam Bombay to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Directed by a very young Mira Nair, and screenwritten by a young Sooni Taraporevala, it generated similar media coverage (Indians upset that it depicted street kids, but otherwise huge media for it in western media). We were all really on the edge of our seat. Its really a different feeling now, because Slumdog is directed and screenwritten by non Indians, and technically is not considered an “Indian” film. But I think 1987 marked more of a watershed year. Salaam Bombay actually changed Indian and western film history, and is of course now a classic. If anything, Slumdog makes me want to rewatch Salaam.
Eight !