Slumdog Millionaire -- 2

The writing was clear…..the Oscars had to come & they did. Eight Oscars in all for this Danny Boyle extravaganza at the 81st Academy Awards night. All the crew & the cast, were up on stage, reveling in the grand reception & applause that was due to them. With Anil Kapoor flashing his broad smile at every camera, the kids in immaculate tux, Frieda Pinto looking stunning in her blue gown, Irfan Khan & Dev Patel smiling with a quiet assurance of achievement.....the stage was set.

Hwever, what made me feel proud as an Indian however was the simplicity & humility that was in the voice & content of the two Indians who received the awards.

Resul Pookutty, who received the award for the “Best Sound Mixing Category”, said “This is unbelievable. We can't believe this. Ladies and gentlemen...(there was a pause, as he gathered his composure),… sorry... I share the stage with two magicians, you know, who created the very ordinary sounds of Bombay, the cacophony of Bombay, into a soul-stirring, artful resonance called Slumdog Millionaire.
I come from a country and a civilization that given the universal word. That word is preceded by silence, followed by more silence. That word is 'OM.' So I dedicate this award to my country. Thank you, Academy, this is not just a sound award, this is history being handed over to me. My sincere and deepest gratitude to my teachers, Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, Paul Ritchie, Pravesh... and everybody who has contributed to this film, Glenn Freemantle and all the sound mixers. I dedicate this to you guys. Thank you, Academy. Thank you very much".
Coming up from a tiny village in Kerala, Resul had so well depicted India’s contribution to the world….. the universal word OM, that spreads to every nook & corner of this world, in every religion, in every faith, in every language,…….

Musical Maestro, AR Rahman’s, response to his double Oscar, was in simple Tamil, “Ella pughalum iraivanuke (All glory and fame is to God)"…..he dedicated his awards to his mother, seated in the audience, He also said, "I always had a choice between love and hate in my life. And I chose love and I am here,"…….humble words, but words of wisdom & profound faith. Faith in Love, the essence of life & Faith in God, the essence of Love…….we all have that choice to make in life...between Love & hate.....

However, like many Indians, I too feel that AR Rahman has created much better music in past than that in Slumdog Millionaire. Probably the world has now come to hear this creation of his & has gone bonkers….

Jai Ho….