The Oscar Doesn’t Go To …

I really don't know what point you are trying to make, if you are trying to subtle. This is Boyle's endeavour, why should Tandan get the credit...it was nothing for her other than a job--she got paid. If you want to argue this stupid point, why is it that Pinto gets to show her not-so-impressive face slobbed with expensive, designer gowns for each of the awards (like she's running in a awards marathon--hoping she gets picked by a hollywood director), while the slum kids get to go only for one award ceremony and dressed in less-stellar, no name designers?
I am ok if you bring up some sort of unfairness, but if so, do it at all levels.
Also, sushruta, just thank the westerners for shedding some light on the slum-lives of millions in India, coz as indians, we are too self-absorbed and selfish to give even an iota of thought to these struggling masses.

"There are plenty of American movies about homeless Americans."
****
That's a good point, but how many of such movies that explore the dark underbelly of American life, dysfunctional families and corruption make it to "third-world" countries? Or are the ones exported to these countries the special effects extravaganza where an American hero prevails against the bad guys, thus ensuring cultural hegemony as well as advertising to the viewers that "America is so wonderful"?

The other point you missed is: Who is telling the story? Is it Indians who are telling their own stories, or are stories told by others (outsiders) about India that are being promoted? Why not promote Indian movies that are much better than SM and also talk about realities? Now, if you think that it doesn't matter who tells anyone's story, maybe you should look at the narratives and characters shown in American movies pertaining to native-americans and blacks, what stories have been told and how authentic they are (in the sense of depicting reality and history).
JohnDow

There are plenty of American movies about homeless Americans. Was "The Pursuit of Happyness" with Will Smith distributed in India? We also have documentaries such as "Sicko" and "Murder on a Sunday Morning" and "Maxed Out" that unflinchingly show how screwed up America can be during its worst possible moments. The difference here is, many of us in the U.S. very adamantly believe that blind patriotism for the sake of blind patriotism is simply dangerous. Social commentary is welcome... with any luck it leads to progress down the line. You know, Charles Dickens did England a great service by highlighting the plight of its poor-- and he was a homegrown social commentator. I'll see "Taare Zameen Par" when I can, in part because your comment has piqued my interest. But I remember seeing "Black" in a theatre in Mumbai & hearing all its "Oscar-worthy" buzz--- and I'm sorry but that movie was a blatant (and overacted) ripoff of "The Miracle Worker" starring Anne Bancroft. We shall see. Truly, though, a HUGE number of perfectly worthy films never make it to Oscar fame. There are so few slots.

Regardless of what we achive the west and particularly the UK having colonized us will always look at us as a poor backwater with slums etc.There are 3million homeless in America but no movies on them.All countries have a dark underbelly but the UK seems to get a vicarious delight in looking at the result of their colonial legacy,poverty and suffering in what was till the 17th century the richest nation on earth.
BTW Taree Zamin Par a great movie about a boy overcoming dyslexia didn't even get through the selectors.

"virtually all of the people collecting trophies for it will have white ones."

Slumdog Millionaire during the award season has not just been an "all white" thing. In case you haven't noticed, music composer AR Rahman and lead actor Dev Patel have been racking up a lot of awards this season. The actor playing Young Jamal, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, has also gotten a British award for most promising newcomer.

"But only Boyle's name appears on the Oscar ballot, because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Directors Guild of America don't recognize such titles"

What do you expect the Academy to do? Make an exception in this case? Tandan's exclusion is perfectly normal.

Lastly...

And while I personally consider it harsh that the Indian crew are getting little exposure during awards season, Danny Boyle and the rest of the award accepters for the movie have been more than generous in giving the Indian crew side of the production credit for their part in making this movie. That is good enough in my book.

I am glad Boyle got to win the award. The spirit of the movie is true and from the hard mean streets of Mumbai. The many vagrant kids and destitutes happens to be real and unfortunately very much hopeless. As an Indian I am proud of the movie and can say the Bollywood is the real *** in never showing the *** that it is and we are always surrounded in. Hope the award knocks some hard sense to Indian actors and directors here. Kudos to Boyle!

miss harlowe
from pseudo essex
i am an essex boy
i have known essex girls all my life and fortunately i have never encountered one with your non existing etiquettes and someone who uses the personal language about other individuals who have no other desire except expressing their opinion
it shows who has been intoxicated or shows signs of delusional grandeur interpreted as what you describe in simplistic terms as idiot -nit -old nut and drunk
lolz
very amusing i wish this rotten movie has given me as much amusement but i was not so fortunate

as for YOUR AUDIENCE AND CRITICS I GIVE TWO HOOTS AND I HOPE YOU ALL CAN GO AND ENJOY THIS EVERYDAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES
AS FOR ME IT WAS AN EXCRUCIATING TORTURE AND I HAD TO TAKE A SHOWER TO CLEANSE MYSELF FROM THIS EXCREMENTAL FILTH AS WELL AS TAKE SOME ANALGESICS FOR THE INDUCED HEADACHE SECONDARY TO THE CACOPHONY
CHEERS PLEASE DO VISIT THIS GREAT MASSALA MOVIE COPIED FROM 3 BOLLYWOOD ORIGINALS WHICH ALL HAPPEN TO BE SUPERIOR TO THIS CLAPTRAP IN MY IDIOTIC DRUNKEN OPINION

CHEERS MISS HARLOW -I HOPE THIS OLD NUT NEVER HAS TO COME ACROSS A HARLOW GIRL OF YOUR ILK -
I PRAY TO ALMIGHTY LORD FOR THAT REDEMPTION INDEED

harlowe you are a clueless dumb broad who has no heart to tolerate others with manners of a harlot
lolz
i will call you a stoned imbecile who is unable to think because she is drunk and demented
lolz

if you want to see how old i am i am not interested in harlots and thats my reply to rabid females -guess the synonyms for the term

What is jbz7879's problem. How about one ridiculous, incoherent post rather than yammering on like a drunken, scorned lover over numerous posts. You sound like a crazy old nut.

The movie was wonderful. Both viewers and critics agree.

You're an idiot.

Why must the skin color always be a judgmental element? It is truly truly truly annoying to have to read about one's skin color ALL the TIme. The mind has one color regardless of the color of the skin. Human emotions are the same regardless of the skin color,time or place.

worst scene of the year

a child covered in excrement runs to a mumbai superstar for an autograph and breaks into a cordon of bodyguards to get it too on a clean note he holds while he is dripping from head to toe in shite

it is so ludicrous you cannot even emote -you just feel embarrassed for boyle and his pseudo intellectual fans
benumbing bad aesthetics and badly copied bolly wood horror movie
if he wanted to copy 3 movies and make a cocktail he should have chosen a better cast then the wooden dev patel who cannot act if you hold a gun to his head
and i am sure he thinks he is shahrukh khan
lolz
hilarious -must see inadvertent comedy of the year

a ten year old shoots a mumbai don and then lives with a girl while the other goons just run away from a boy with a pistol

there is a flaw in every damned frame
it is awfully bad

it was not funny it was depressing and if that is british humor it is indeed only a boil that needs to be treated as it is sick

bless mira nair and salaam bombay and damn the copycats and the pseudo critics and awards as if their self indulgent preposterousness is of any consequence

ROTTEN BOILED EGG TOUR OF TAJ MAHAL -
if you thought bolly made senseless formulaic pastiches then go watch this patronising and condescending dis- jointed pot boiler fro danny the boiler who makes the narrative jump giddily from one gutter to another .
he cannot even stage a convincing anti muslim riot and the street kids look like a parody of nairs salaam bombay with the worst dialogue delivery i have seen in a recent movie .
i widh he saw nihalinis dev and nairs SB and then had a vision to mix it with fiennes quiz show .
but this is a dreadfully bemusing and flawed look where two kids fall off the roof of a speeding train conveniently in the front yard of taj mahal without enduring a single bruise and then start giving intro tours to obese western tourists in english language while they have never attended a day of even a slum school .
this is indian massala gone wrong with item songs in the most inappropriate places like the mumbai central and colors which are as gaudy as holi gone astray ,
the highrises and trains are all shot by a cameraman with angles which make one suspicious the technician was cross eyed or suffering from a hangover ,
the direction looks as if boyle was stoned because india has dirt cheap cannabis and all indians are portrayed as callous cheating contemptuous cultural buffoons ,
they abuse and disfigure kids who go around shooting gang dons point blank and the mobiles never seem to stop ringing ,
was it meant to be surreal or a satire as it comes out as a superfluous self indulgent look at the indian culture which is as dull and technically flawed as brick lane if not worst ,the lurid plot of two brothers who drea of riches and the fairy tale setting of who wants to be a millionaire is just as despicable as the consumer market in its worst metaphor but the script is just as schizoid as it forces clueless and tasteless jokes without context into a ludicrous tale.
the chat between the anchor and the contestant in mens room is so badly staged it was worst then the excretions being emitted ,
while the semi winner is flagged for fraud and tortured by a caricature cop played by irfan khan he tells us his autobiography which is as bizarrely implausible as the most melodramatic and misplced bolly drama possible to conceive .next time please study ivorys indian endeavours and leans passage to indiabefore indulging in a cliched contemptuous look at india from a anglo-saxon perspective where india becomes an extended
the fact this is even considered for any awards is a hilarious exercise in making mediocre bollywoods look like classics as they are indeed mor sensible the this trash from the gutters of mumbai.

thec worst copy and pastiche of mira nairs salaan bombay this movie is a blasphemy and stinks like an open gutter

To Gizzard: I agree that colour should not matter. But genuine talent deserves unqualified recognition. The Academy's premise that a co-director tag is irrelevant to a production is wrong. Why then make the exception for the Coen Brothers. Why not just flip a coin between the two brothers, and let one of them be nominated? As for Loveleen Tandon, sure, like all Indians working in the West, experience is a wonderful byproduct of a job well done ... but a little recognition goes far and hastens the holy grail which all professionals in the West (at least) seek, sweet success. Why deny him / her the visibility, just because they have a pre-fix to their job title? Her modest refutations apart, Ms. Tandon must feel (if an inanimate object could speak its mind), like a home decor product which is advertised as the work of "community artists in India". Sourced for $3.25. To be prized as an affordable objet d'art in its own right. But then packaged with a high price tag by some big western namebrand viz. Crate and Barrel / Pottery Barn, sold for $30.95 plus tax. Get the idea? We do ... all the time.

This is a pointless article, why bring the colour of peoples faces into a catorgized awards cermony???? assistants may have been invaluble, but how many assistants ever get an Oscar, and who would even ask for one? I,m sure Loveleen Tandan would rather get experience and further her carreer and earn an Oscar in her own right than get one because she has a "Brown Face".