Anil Kapoor keen to investigate Slumdog kid scandal

Anil Kapoor is keen to get back to India so he can investigate reports his young “Slumdog Millionaire” co-star Rubina Ali's father tried to sell her.

The Bollywood actor is in Hollywood, where he's being honoured at the seventh annual Indian Film Festival, and he admits he has lost contact with the kids in the hit film.

But he's determined to return to the real-life slums in Mumbai and track down the young stars - to make sure they're all OK after their brush with overnight success.

In the meantime, he's distressed whenever he hears the youngsters have been caught up in negative press stories - and can't believe the British tabloid reports Ali's father tried to sell her to a bogus Middle Eastern couple.

Indian police have failed to find any evidence to prove Rafiq Qureshi attempted to sell his young daughter for £200,000.

Kapoor admits he always feared the child stars of “Slumdog Millionaire” would be exploited upon their return to India after a trip to the Oscars in February.

He says, "That's the worry we always had. We all discussed that... When they're exposed to this kind of limelight this is what is going to be the disadvantages (sic)."
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Slumdog Millionaire - DVD Review

MOVIE DETAILS

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Dev Patel, Irrfan Khan, Frieda Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Rubiana Ali, Tanay Chheda, Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala, Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar
Director: Danny Boyle
Producer: Christian Colson, Tessa Ross, Paul Smith
Music: A.R.Rahman
Lyrics: A R Rahman, Gulzar, Tanvi, Raqueeb Alam, Blaaze

THE FILM

Ok, so let's be honest about this one. Majority of us who watched the film and then formulated an opinion about Slumdog-Millionaire did so way before its theatrical release in India. Which simply translates into the fact that we saw it on a pirated DVD (or online 'unpaid' version). There is a good and a bad connotation to it.

Good - We all were quite excited about knowing what Slumdog Millionaire was all about and hence could hardly wait for it to arrive in theatres.
Bad - Because we not just contributed to piracy but also robbed the film of a few crores extra that it could have earned had it been seen directly in cinemas.

So why am I am talking about the relevance of buying the original DVD here rather than talking of Slumdog Millionaire - The Film! Because till date, every Ramu, Rani and Rambo has seen (or at least heard) what the film is all about and there is no single soul left on the planet earth (at the least the kind that loves to watch any movie with an Indian connect to it) who is unaware what Slumdog Millionaire is all about.

In fact I have an interesting anecdote to quote here. In my January trip to Far East Asia, I met a bunch of college going kids in a tube (train). I was with some friends of mine and was looking for directions. During the course of our conversation, I brought up the topic of Bollywood.

'Have you heard about Shah Rukh Khan?' Answer - 'No'
'Have you heard about Amitabh Bachchan?' Answer - 'No'
'Have you heard about Akshay Kumar?' Answer - 'No'
'Have you heard about Bollywood - The film industry from India?' Answer - 'India, the same country from which a film called Slumdog Millionaire is being talked about? Heard it has chances of Oscar nominations, am I right?'

All I could do was nod in admiration!

And this conversation was way before Oscar short listing was held! So yes, when the film had already reached every nook and corner of the film watching world, the buzz was pretty much palpable.

And why not? After all the film was (and continues to be) as euphoric as it gets with every right answer in the game show making you spill that popcorn. The narrative that oscillated between past and present was as innovative as it gets. Anil Kapoor's characterization too was as wicked as it gets. And the kids made you wonder if they should return in front of camera in quick time or should they complete their studies in next few years and then come back as matured human beings as well as professionals.

Of course there have been debates and there would be debates about the music of Rahman being the best ever by him that deserved the Oscars! Well, of course most Indians would agree that he has come up with better soundtracks in the past but the fact remains that at the end of the day, it is Slumdog Millionaire that has made him a household name.

So just for this very fact, even though it sounds as clichéd (and routine as well as predictable) as it gets, let's say 'Jai Ho' to that!

PACKAGING

Slumdog Millionaire comes in a soft box packaging. However, one expected it to be much lavish in appeal considering the film has won 8 Oscars for itself. However, that's not the case as on the stands, it is visible as just another DVD rather than anything which is exclusive.

DURATION

The film's duration is ~120 minutes

SPECIAL FEATURES

The film comes with the bonus features that include:

- The Making of the Film
- The Premier

Special Features are clearly disappointing in case of Slumdog Millionaire. The least one would have expected from this multiple Oscar winning film was 'Director's Commentary', some true 'Behind the Scenes' segments, glimpses of the actual production and 'Deleted Scenes'. However, none of that is included in the 'Special Features' which merely comes with a routine 'Making of the Film' segment where all you get to hear are mini interviews of Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan and Anil Kapoor with bytes from A.R. Rahman, Dev Patel and 'Frieda Pinto'.

Comparatively, there is still some excitement generated from the 'The Premier' segment since you get to see and hear a horde of celebrities talking about the film on the eve of the film's release in Mumbai. If you are star struck then this one belongs to not-to-be-missed category as you get to witness a huge range that goes as Anil Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Genelia D'Souza, Sushmita Sen, Tusshar Kapoor, Chunky Pandey, Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Kirron Kher, Hrithik Roshan, Jiah Khan, Arshad Warsi, Ambanis, Zeenat Aman, Sridevi, Danny, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Neha Dhupia, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Gulshan Grover, Ranbir Kapoor, Preity Zinta, Saira Bano, Shabana Azmi and many more.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
- Subtitles in English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo

PRICE

Rs. 399/=

CONCLUSION

The point is plain and simple: We have seen the film on pirated DVDs; now let's do the film some favour and give it back what it truly deserves - 'Let's buy the original DVD'. Not just is the original DVD far better in picture quality, it also carries a much better sound quality; something that lends the film a much better cinematic experience.
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Anil Kapoor leaves to discuss '24' role

Anil Kapoor has a lot on his plate in the coming days. The actor left on Saturday night for LA to attend a few charity events as well as to discuss his shoot for the upcoming season of the US hit television show 24. Anil will also be part of a retrospective on his films in LA, which will open with the English version of his film Gandhi My Father.






A source close to the actor reveals, "Anil begins his shoot for 24 next month. He is the first Indian actor to be a part of the show. He was approached by the producers of the TV show after the whole Slummdog win at the Oscars. Interestingly, Anil's agent is the same guy who works for Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke. His agent got Anil the part when the producers showed interest in him."

Anil plays the part of a Middle Eastern agent who helps the CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) team solve a series of cases. Initially, Anil's role was to be limited to an episode, but after a series of meetings, the producers have decided to extend his stay for an entire season. "Anil won't be in India for a long time. Of course he will be travelling back and forth, but he will be in the US for a while."

Even though he's signed on a US television show, it hasn't stopped the actor from taking on more work in Bollywood. "Anil will soon start his home production titled Ayesha with his daughter Sonam and Abhay Deol in the lead. His second daughter Rhea is producing the movie. He's also signed a new project with Ashtavinayak films, which will go on floors soon."
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