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Slumdog Millionaire v/s Pather Panchali
By Suresh Kumar
I finally gave in to the hype and saw Slumdog Millionaire recently and I must
confess I was less than elated. If I had not seen grippingly realistic classics like
Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali or De Sica’s Italian masterpiece, Bicycle Thieves
before, I would have probably enjoyed Slumdog Millionaire more. But then these
benchmarks are very hard to match, let alone beat.
I mention these two movies not only because they are all-time classics, but they
also have extraordinary performances by kids. This is not to say that the kids in
Slumdog did not perform admirably. They did well but they were just doing what
the script had tasked them to do, which for most times was unrealistic.
My issue with Slumdog is that it is neither fully surreal (like a Spider Man movie
is) nor fully realistic. Nothing really wrong with that, except that it affects the
viewer – his mind keeps jumping from belief to disbelief and that doesn’t make
for seamless viewing. I would imagine that the director’s vision was to make a
realistic movie, but along the way was forced to introduce unrealistic segments
either due to ignorance of the Indian way of life or various other pressures not
least of which were the ones from the box office.
As a result, we have a movie which would leave any discerning viewer with more
questions than answers:
Could a boy from the slums win big in a quiz show? Isn’t there too much of a
coincidence in the way the boy gets to know all the answers? Why would a quiz
master be so mean to a participant? Do children talk and behave the way they do
in the movie? Would the police in Mumbai actually hear out the protagonist the
way they do? Are foreign tourists so gullible that they would listen to a guide’s
inane explanations about the Taj Mahal? The list is long, leaving the story with a
heavy shadow of improbability. I am not even questioning the catchy song
sequence in the end – I am willing to suspend belief for the sake of
entertainment. And entertainment crafted with great technical pizzazz is what
Slumdog really is. It is garish at times with characters that are either good or bad
mouthing implausible lines. Adding to the lack of authenticity is that these lines
are in English. At best, the quick cuts and sweeping cinematography
accompanied by relevant sound design give you an adrenalin rush. The shots of
life in slums are bound to shock, especially the uninitiated. All said, Slumdog
should not have any pretensions of being a cinematic classic.
Let’s compare it now with Ray’s Pather Panchali. The movie is based in rural
Bengal and yet is a universal human tale that transcends culture. Firstly, we have
a screenplay of inordinate restraint. Ray often makes the script writer’s job
redundant as many scenes are expressed through just a gesture or facial
expression, with hardly a dialogue. Every shot is precise and even though the movie
is shot in black and white, it brings out the true colour of village life.
It’s the story of two children - a brother and sister whose parents are struggling to make
ends meet. Their hand to mouth existence notwithstanding, they support their
aged but sprightly aunt who has a mind of her own. Despite the abject poverty
and deaths in the movie, it is hardly maudlin – in fact one feels uplifted and can
sense life shining radiantly, thanks mainly to the children’s performance. Their
zest for life is infectious to say the least. None of the characters in the movie are
perfect – they are like the human beings you find in every day life – no one is a
true hero or villain. In other words, they are all realistic, their behaviour dignified.
The dialogues in Bengali add to the realism.
Finally the music. Much has been said and written about A. R. Rahman’s score
for Slumdog but who can forget Ravi Shankar’s haunting score for Pather
Panchali? Once you hear the flute and sitar piece so intelligently used throughout
the narrative, it stays with you forever.
How would Ray have made Slumdog? I reckon his would have been subtler and
yet you would have felt and smelt the life in the slums. He would have made his
actors say less and yet you would have got a lot more. He would not have made
a feel-good movie and yet you would have felt good at the end of it.
It is little wonder that Pather Panchali collected all the accolades it did and has
stayed in our collective consciousness 65 years after it was made. Will Slum Dog
Millionaire stand such a test of time?
Suresh Kumar is a creative consultant based in Singapore.
