Awkward Slumdog

So, as noted previously, I’m as happy as could be that Slumdog rocked the Oscars so hard. I mean, Freida Pinto even presented an award with some guy (an old guy?). That’s pretty good representation. There is one awkward note to the whole thing however: at the Oscars, Danny Boyle forgot to give credit to Loveleen Tandan, the woman who was basically the India director – she acted as go-between for Boyle and all of the actors who did not speak Enlish (like the youngest kids), and did a ton of work for the film… Which is obviously why she’s billed as co-director when the credits roll. I mean, he remembered to give credit to a guy who wrote a song, but not to the woman who made what he created possible? It might not sound like much, but check out this article I found by way of Feministe. In it, Tandan explains what part she had in the film, how she came to it, and her plans for the future. It’s obvious that she considers the film to be Boyle’s movie (and says so in the piece), but this was pre-Oscars. It’s got to piss her off a bit, one would think. I mean, he forgot to mention her at the Golden Globes too, I believe… Anyway, he’s a pretty excitable guy, so maybe he’s going to say that he forgot amid the excitement. I hope he says something, ’cause right now, if I were her, I’d want to have a little chat with him.

It’s also just a bit telling that as co-director of the favorite for best picture (pre-Oscars show) the cameras didn’t want anything to do with her. Either way, she showed with her work on Slumdog that she has what it takes to create an incredibly detailed setting and characters for a movie. Seriously, go read her article, I’d be willing to bet that her hand can be felt (if looked for) all over that movie. I hope she goes on to make some sweet movies, but we’ll have to wait and see.

On a slightly related note, since Danny Boyle likes changing his genres every movie, let me recommend time-travel next. He’s done space, zombies, drugs, The Beach (which is about what?), Millions (about little kids finding a million bucks), and Slumdog. I think time-travel is definitely next. Seriously, Danny, I love your stuff,  a lot (my friends hate my guts for making them sit through 28 Days Later, them hating it, me loving every minute of it), so just apologize for this rather unpleasant mistake you’ve made, and then go on to making more badass movies. Please?