West Side Tale Blog

India’s film industry gets boost after Slumdog’s win

The biggest winner of last Sunday’s Academy Awards was not Slumdog Millionaire but the Indian film industry. Expect Bollywood to be in focus this year and in many more years to come especially after they have proven how much talent they have to share to Hollywood. Slumdog Millionaire is not only about poor people becoming rich or about poor kids living in the slums of Bombay. Slumdog Millionaire is all about the potential of the Indian film industry and how both Bollywood and Hollywood can benefit from each other when they work together.

India is known for having one of the most prolific film industry in the world but it never shined during the Oscars or the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Award. The film Gandhi brought India’s first Oscar’s Award for costume designer Bhanu Athaiya in 1983. After a long hiatus, a lifetime achievement award was given to director Satyajit Ray in 1992. With the almost grandslam victory of Slumdog Millionaire, the Indians are getting the attention they deserve. Among those who got an Oscar Award are Allah Rakha Rahman for Best Music Score who also won for Best Original Song along with Gulzar. The Best Sound Mixing Award also went to Indian Resul Pookutty. Slumdog Millionaire is actually a showcase of good collaboration between Bollywood and Hollywood as it starred Bollywood talents, made by a British filmmaker and written by an Indian diplomat.