As Indian cinema experiences newfound international recognition in the wake of RRR’s massive success among Western audiences, it’s worth pointing out that a similar wave of interest in the country (and its film culture) reached its peak between the years of 2009 and 2012. But back then, it was two Western films that inspired the interest. One of them was Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, which swept the Oscars and kickstarted the careers of Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto, and the other was director Ang Lee’s Life of Pi.
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While Slumdog was a scrappy British production that barely saw the light of day before becoming a blockbuster, Life of Pi was a 3D spectacle that grossed over half-a-billion dollars globally. Both films offered an outsider’s perspective of India, and went on to win Boyle and Lee Best Director Oscars.
During the press tour of Life of Pi, Ang Lee was inevitably asked about Slumdog, and he appeared to dismiss the film’s depiction of India. He told PTI that extreme portrayals of India, such as glorifying it or showing its darker side should be avoided. He said in response to a question about Slumdog, “I think either way it is unfair (to show darker side or glorify India) as Indians are in the middle. If some outsider comes he or she will take or show what they need or like. I tried to justify the realism… tried to show the real India. I tried to make it realistic. People come here for specific reasons and do what they like. But I feel it is unfair to show it (darker side).”
The filmmaker was already world-renowned thanks to diverse filmography that included titles such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Brokeback Mountain; Sense and Sensibility; and Hulk. For Life of Pi, he cast newcomer Suraj Sharma in the lead role, as well as Irrfan Khan and Tabu. He said about the two Indian stars, “Irrfan is an amazing talent. He is one actor who will surprise you with each scene. Tabu is equally awesome.”
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Lee also seemed to get to the crux of why films like Slumdog Millionaire (and RRR in the future) are able to attract Western audiences. “They are pretty dried up on emotions in the West now. Hollywood has been mainly dominated by Europe and Americans and it is high time that Asians offer something. The movie business always looks for fresh, specific things and they also look for something universal.”
“Indian movies are fresh and they are pretty new… but for Hollywood film-making you have to go beyond specific and find universal ideas for everybody, that’s how it works,” he added.
A similar conversation is happening right now, 10 years after Life of Pi, thanks to the crossover success of SS Rajamouli’s RRR. Audiences in the West have hailed it as a refreshing change of pace from the usual Marvel-style blockbuster filmmaking. Fans of the film are now clamouring for Oscars attention.
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Three-time Oscar winner Ang Lee, on the other hand, has been experimenting with 120 frames-per-second High Frame Rate filmmaking, and has directed two movies since Life of Pi — Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk and Gemini Man. Both films were pathbreaking in terms of technology, but bombed at the box office.
