India celebrates first Golden Globe success

AM – Tuesday, 13 January , 2009  08:24:00

Reporter: Sally Sara

BRENDAN TREMBATH: A film about a boy from the slums of Mumbai is an international success story for the Indian film industry.

“Slumdog Millionaire” has won four Golden Globe awards and is being talked about as a contender for best picture at the Academy Awards.

But it’s unclear how Indian audiences will react to the film and its gritty portrayal of life on the streets.

South Asia correspondent Sally Sara prepared this report.

(Applause)

PRESENTER 1: And the Golden Globe goes to:

PRESENTER 2: “Slumdog Millionaire”.

(Applause and cheering)

PRESENTER 3: And “Slumdog Millionaire”.

PRESENTERS 4 and 5 (in unison): “Slumdog Millionaire”.

SALLY SARA: “Slumdog Millionaire” has given India its first Golden Globe award to composer AR Rahman.

AR RAHMAN: Thanks to the almighty God for bringing me here and the billion people from India, thanks for all the prayers.

(Music)

SALLY SARA: This film is a big departure from the Bollywood tradition but it’s paid off.

Actor Anil Kapoor says the success lies in the combination of old and new.

ANIL KAPOOR: It’s historic, the Bollywood Hollywood coming together and this is the first film which will give India the platform which it really needed.

(Music)

SALLY SARA: Slumdog is all about the underdog and it takes the audience into the gritty world of rubbish dumps, pickpockets, gangsters and even Indian call centres.

“Slumdog Millionaire” is set in Mumbai and was based on a book by an Indian diplomat. But it’s directed by a foreigner, British director Danny Boyle who is best known for “Trainspotting”.

Utpal Borpujari is an award winning Indian film critic. He says many Indian films have struggled to attract overseas success because they have stuck to the Bollywood formula.

UTPAL BORPUJARI: Yeah, to a great extent it’s so because you know Bollywood films they usually tell only a few stories, four or five stories in different formats and with lots of songs and dances. I think they have to look for new subjects. That will be the way to break through the barrier.

SALLY SARA: Ironically Indian audiences haven’t seen “Slumdog Millionaire” yet. It won’t be released across the country until late January. Utpal Borpujari says it’s unclear how local movie goers will react to its confronting portrayal of life in Mumbai.

UTPAL BORPUJARI: Many of the mainstream Bollywood cinema also do the same but they sugar coat the whole story. I mean they don’t show the poor areas of India, the slums of Mumbai in the same way as Slumdog Millionaire has done. I think there could be a lot of criticism about the way they have shown India when the film gets released in India.

SALLY SARA: Until then many Indians are toasting the success of India’s first Golden Globe victory.

This is Sally Sara in New Delhi for AM.

(http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2008/s2464498.htm); http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/5258791/india-toasts-slumdogs-globes-success/)