Millions of Slumdogs Photo

Photographer’s Note

I have never been so interested in the Oscars before. I am happy that Slumdog Millionaire swept the Oscars. A rags to riches story where the real lives of a few kids, (the real stars of the film) have been changed and if this film can bring to the attention of the masses the plight of so many others it deserves every accolade it wins.

emilbo, Bien, leo61, KevRyan has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

emilbo (9667) 2009-02-23 10:37

Allô Elaine!
Une photo très touchante qui nous montre bien la vie dans certains coins de ce pays. Je me demande souvent comment ces gens font pour vivre dans ces abris de fortune. C'est vrai que j'en ai vu dans mes voyages et les gens, surtout les enfants ne semblaient pas malheureux. Je n'ai pas vu le film et je ne savais pas qu'il avait gagné un Oscar. Belle présentation et superbes couleurs.
Félicitations pour ta belle galerie,
Emilius

yquem46 (8475) 2009-02-23 10:44

Yes Elaine, millions of slumdogs in the big cities like Delhi, Kolkota or Mumbai... Fortunately, in my personal feeling of India, many more people in the villages where they live definitely poorly but also rather happily, far away from our consuming society and our occidental permanent and always increasing demand for more and more money. I love people there, so friendly, so smiling, so welcoming. That's my India even if I cannot forget the dark side of the moon ! I'm sure you feel the same
regards
Patrick

holmertz (10029) 2009-02-23 10:48

Hello Elaine,
I am sure this picture tells the story of life in Indian slums much better than that movie. I saw half (!) of it during a recent film festival (then something went wrong and after a long while I left), but up to then I found the story extremely unlikely and had a feeling that the director and the writer had just dotted off all the standard clichés of Indian life. But this picture, with a nice parallel line between the street sign and the rickshaw, feels very real.
Kind regards,
Gert

yaya13baut (2359) 2009-02-23 11:36

Hi Elaine,
I won't be as enthousiastic as you about the attention that Occident will pay on the lot of these poor people in Asia after the Oscars. When the party'll become a memory, will Hollywood continue to take care of the little actors of India's streets ? Will the spectators of the movie do something ? Maybe, hope so...
And a movie is just a movie, not the real daily life.
Anyway, I stop here, I'm not a pessimistic man.
To come back to your photo, it's a good street portrait of these children, colorful. Hope they could escape from the street to do something interesting in their lives.
Yannis

zmey (7282) 2009-02-23 12:09

hi Elaine
a nice one: fully of crude reality. so crude, that i even do not know whether the bright colors are not... just too bright for your story.
those feet in front: so telling...

warm regards,
kristaps

Jeppo (12142) 2009-02-23 13:06

Ciao Elaine,

I also saw similar scenes right in Mumbai....while returning from the Exhibition ground to the Hotel.
this shot is India...so different and similar at the same time....where some features arise from the colour twister it actually eyes:

- humanity
- deep eyes
- children smiles
- chaos
- colours

ciao
silvio

tomescuc (2837) 2009-02-23 20:30

Pretty and colorful , but I am sure their life is anything but that. Well composed piece of street / documentary photography.
rgds, Cristian

aadilj (17950) 2009-02-23 22:39

Hi Elaine, so apt even as I have not able to overcome the delirum of the Oscars that have eventually come India's way!! I am glad you chose this theme so that we could stop pretnding that everything is fine and start doing something to fight poverty

leo61 (43830) 2009-02-24 10:56

Hi Elaine!
A good post for sunday night`s event.
A nice daylife streetscene with typical India elements,like the rickshaw the streetsign made of stone and the big letters.All the best for India and it`s wonderful people.
Regards,leo

KevRyan (22422) 2009-02-28 2:32

A really great street photograph Elaine - the composition and compositional elements - incorporating that concrete structure is bold and unique - but the attitude and take on the children is so fitting to the sentiments expressed in your note - I still haven't seen the film but I know it is not one to miss.

bw Kev

kschanna (6) 2009-03-05 3:01

Hello Elaine

I share your wish wholeheartedly and Love this composition.

Thanks for sharing
Kamran

MiguelP (14336) 2009-03-06 3:03

Elaine! What a great photo, I do agree with you about the Oscar, I think all people we love India we were very interested in the show that night. I love the moment, the spontaneus mood of the photo.
Take care!
Miguel

dvlazar (6492) 2009-03-09 23:07

Hey
one of my favourites from your new india photos, I like the beat up old rickshaw and these street kids in the frame. Of course, I really liked the movie and it certainly has the feel of it captured in the photo.
DAve