If this second version of the poster is any indication, Slumdog Millionaire will probably sweep the Oscars come Monday, like it has at all major awards presentation thus far, like how Dav Patel won 2 million rupies in the film.
There is no stopping the momentum of this film, and the feel-good enthusiasm will only spread further.
SM is definitely the harder film to shoot, given the terrain, the chaos, and the language barrier and differences. Those images of the slumps and the harsh living conditions under which people in India live are all real. To an outsider, the image is a startling realisation at how backwards it all is, which leads to a curiosity about India. SM, I believe, will do for India what Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon did for Asian movies. It will spawn growing interest, and perhaps even tourism, in India.
A R Rahman's score sounded like an innovative accompaniment to the film, until I question myself how different it is from typical Bollywood movies. Perhaps it was the Western fusion that made the score stand out from standard Bollywood fare. M.I.A's Paper Plane was used yet again and blended well into the film. Those gunshots on hindsight felt like a prelude. This award is Rahman's to lose.
SM is this year's Little Miss Sunshine: the film that came from nowhere but is now everywhere. This feel-good movie's only criticism from me is its incredulity. Everything seemed to be fated, coincidental to the point where events in his life led him to win the grand prize. This is the total opposite of TCCOBB: one has real subjects, but an incredible plot, while the other had an out-of-this-world subject yet very earthly concerns and emotions.
I've yet to come to terms with which is the infinite personal favourite. But that is perhaps not such an important question as to how much each movie has affected me. SM is definitely a movie for the masses. You have to believe the hype, not the race.
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