Chaos Pavanred's Blog ….. Exponential Error

Would it be even correct to look at oscar mania from an objective viewpoint?

Lets try. First of all, big congratulations to Rahman for breaking the deadlock for us Indians. He has to be credited for being able to pose for the press with an Oscar in each hand. Clearly, the reward is not only testimony for his work on Slumdog Millionaire but also the sea of musical scores and songs composed through his magical career.

At this juncture there are two issues that raises eyebrows. One, does the overall impact of the movie influence the number of times Slumdog songs are looped at our homes and offices? Two, if you sat down and listened to the songs from all the movies that Rahman has composed music for, would you rate Slumdog stuff as No.1.

I’d say YES to question one and NO to number two.

Yes, and a big one at that. A movie that has a wider reach and more impact simply due its production value is more obvious to get accolades for all its technicians and musicians and screenwriters and a whole host of cinema army. Undoubtedly, the larger picture elevates the value of its ingredients.

No, simply because most ardent Rahman fans would tell you (and its quite obvious) that the Slumdog tracks are no match to the romantic tunes of Roja or the anthems from Dil Se or the mystery of Bombay; quite comfortably placed several leagues higher. Its hard for me not to single out other Rahman work that are musically superior to the Oscar winning soundtrack.

This puts us in a judgmental dilemma. Are the Oscars the ultimate form of reward? Are they fair and objective to garland each category without shrouding their eyes with the widespread acclaim that the movie boasts off as a whole? Or is it the magic of the oldest rags to riches formula that has charmed its way to the big league? Or just the shocking truth of the Dharavi community?

If there’s anybody who could have made us proud, undoubtedly the first choice is Rahman. But a decade and a half ago for Roja, and again later for Bombay and I could effortlessly crowd the list.

Objectivity is almost contradictory to human nature and to second this Id say that the genius was always an Oscar winner, from the time we knew him,