Destiny's child

Toonta toonta ek parinda aise toonta, ki phir ud na paya.

Loonta, loonta kisne usko aise loonta, ki phir jud na paya.

Girta hua woh aasman se aakar gira zameen par,

Khwabon mein phir bhi baadal hi the, woh kehta raha magar,

Ke “Allah ke bande hasde, Allah ke bande,

Allah ke bande hasde, jo bhi ho kal phir aayega.”

Every once in a while, there comes a story that touches a raw cord deep within you and moves and uplifts you. When I watched Slumdog Millionaire, what I expected was a rags-to-riches success story, peppered with colourful anecdotes of the lead character’s life. What I didn’t expect, was an anything-for-love storyline. I was briefly disappointed initially, only because the theme has been explored ad naseum.

Soon enough, I was deeply engrossed in a kaleidoscope of Bombay’s slums, the underworld, street life and a chaiwala’s singular dream. Cheesy and presumably predictable though it may seem, the saga of a lost love is timeless. Drawing on this theme, Slumdog Millionaire is fresh, uniquely earnest and hopeful, raw and ruthlessly honest in its portrayal of Bombay’s slums. The drama is inherent. And I’m guessing the Hindu-Muslim connection is not purely coincidental. In any case, it is hardly the crux of the tale. Technically too, the film scores. I love how the past and the present alternate seamlessly, woven deftly into the fabric of the story. The background scores, composed by A.R. Rehman will be downloaded shortly, it is brilliant stuff.

The lead character is a young boy from the slums, who has very little to begin with and every time he comes within reach of one thing that gave meaning and purpose to his life, he loses it all over again. Perhaps borne of his unique circumstances, his integrity and resolute determination, even in his turbulent childhood, astonishes. His changeless, unwavering commitment to a vision in his mind, his unflinching pursuit (of happiness), turns into his destiny.

Perhaps that is how it was written.