Vicarious Pride

The blogosphere is full of Slumdog Millionaire. I'm going to add my bit to it too because it just has to be said (at least i believe so). 

I'm happy for Danny Boyle and all the cast and crew of the movie. But what i fail to understand is why the Indian film industry is going around all smug and self-congratulatory?? I mean the movie is Brit. Almost all its technicians are Brit. Ok so the music, the concept and a lot of the actors were Indian, but the music was given by a recognised genius who has already done a lot of international work, the concept was in a book by an Indian author (which no one knew of till the movie was released) and the actors are frankly not your superstars who get the juciest ad campaigns or get ego-massaging awards and adulations from the industry. In fact some of them are those whom our stars would have shooed away from their cars or maybe dropped a coin for. 

This credit taking for anything remotely Indian is an old habit in this country. Everytime anyone remotely connected to India achieves something big, our countrymen (and politicians) start doing the victory dance. People, get it clear - Indian origin does not make the person Indian. His ancestory just happens to lead back to India. So stop revelling in vicarioius pride and try and get the real Indians to do something big, or even better, do the victory dance for what they do actually achieve (and not give your highest awards to plastic dolls while ignoring your champions).

But i digress. Agreed that it was a Cinderalla story for SM all through and that it has proven a life altering step for most of its actors. But Indians bursting crackers and celebrating the Oscar sweep is like the Chinese taking credit for Kung-fu Panda.