THE MAN FROM THE SLUMS

Countless words have been written on, countless opinions flung about and countless forums have discussed the representation of India in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and the reality in it.

I shall leave all that to those who are better qualified than me to talk about. But there is no denying that slums are a part of India. For every Jamal who escaped there are 900,000 who continue to live there.

This piece in Newsweek touched me deeply. I want to share it with you all. It tells us without any fuss or frills the true story of someone who once lived in a slum - Sudip Mazumdar, Newsweek's own correspondent - in his own words.

SOUNDS GOOD - RESUL POOKUTTY

In all the hullabaloo made about ‘Slumdog Millionaire', about how India has been exploited by foreign filmmakers and much more along those lines, and about all the awards that have come its way, I noticed one person.

With A. R. Rahman (who is modesty personified) being felicitated for his nominations and awards for the film, this other person, who has also been nominated for the Oscar and won the BAFTA award, has been making waves quietly.



Resul Pookutty. A sound engineer who is responsible for all the sounds we hear on the screen, and how we hear them. And his work has brought him to a level of world-wide recognition.

He was born, and grew up, in Kerala, and later graduated from FTII, Pune. A detailed interview with him at RadioandMusic.com is here.

Resul is to be presented with the Pattathuvila Karunakaran memorial award in Kerala. He was selected for the award for his contribution in raising Indian cinema to International level.

Art does imitate life, and a boy who studied in a village without electricity, and had to travel seven kilometers to school, has arrived on the global stage.

I hope he wins the Oscar too.

Photo: Courtesy The Hindu