Your write-up on the movie Slumdog Millionaire by Kul Bhushan (March 2009) made for good reading. I've seen the movie and enjoyed each moment of it. But I'm among those who feel it was not deserving of an Oscar for the Best Movie. Yes, Oscar for its music, its direction and screenplay were called for. But best movie?! When I think of good, Oscar-deserving movies, names such as Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia and Gandhi come to mind. Slumdog is not in the same league.

The beauty of the movie lies in its direction by Danny Boyle and screenplay by Simon Beaufoy; and of course music by that genius A.R. Rahman. It's such a well directed and well-written movie that it holds your attention all throughout. There's not a dull moment. As, indeed, Kul Bhushan notes: '…the pithy screenplay by Simon Beaufoy hurtles at a frantic pace and the direction by Danny Boyle never allows attention to wander away even for a fraction of a moment.'

Credit also goes to Boyle for bringing out the talent of youngsters like Dev Patel and Freida Pinto. For their age, both these actors have done a remarkable job. Little wonder floodgates have opened for both of them in terms of opportunities ahead.

A.R. Rahman's credit lies in making ordinary songs sound good. Of course, he has composed far better music in the past than the one in Slumdog.

But now comes an important question: Would the movie have won an Oscar and such acclaim had it been directed by an Indian, let's say with equal vitality? My answer is 'No'. What's yours?

If you agree, then one is inclined to believe that western directors (artists) get noticed while Indians don't.

Miriam Ross
Mumbai

Telling the truth

I want to congratulate all my Pakistani friends on the occasion of March 23 — another year in the life of the country. On this day you have to ask yourselves: is this the Pakistan your forefathers envisaged or did they have a different dream?

No offence meant, but I am sure this is not the Pakistan Qaaid e Azam created for you. The Pakistan he envisaged still remains a distant dream. Geography of that Pakistan has been considerably reduced due to follies of those who ruled the country.

Today even constituent parts of Pakistan are not happy. Have you ever cared to think why? I hope you will agree with me that the kind of Pakistan we have before us is not a country one could be proud of. You need to put personal interests, rivalries, ego, extremism, regionalism and ethnicity behind you and make a new start to save Pakistan and serve Pakistan.

Make Pakistan a country worth living, a country one could be proud of, a country which is democratic, economically and politically stable and which is at peace with itself and its neighbours.

As a Kashmiri and a well-wisher I wish all the best to you and sincerely hope that Pakistan becomes democratic, stable and prosperous.

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act — George Orwell.

Shabir Choudhry
Director, Institute of Kashmir Affairs
London

Endgame for LTTE

The article on the ongoing war in Sri Lanka by Inder Malhotra (March 2009) was timely and to the point in as far as capturing the Indian viewpoint is concerned. Indians, including most Tamils, have practically no sympathy left for LTTE supremo Prabhakaran and his band of Tigers. Whatever little sympathy was there earlier dissipated after LTTE assassinated the much-loved prime minister of India. Yes, but all Indians feel sorry for the plight of innocent Tamil civilians caught in the crossfire between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE.

When the war began some 30 years ago there was a rationale for it, and much sympathy. The minority Tamil community in the island was being discriminated against by the majority Sinhalese population. But gradually as the LTTE started resorting to terror tactics, killing innocent civilians in Colombo and elsewhere, the rationale was lost. But Tigers were able to sustain their fight because of the support of Tamil diaspora settled across the world. After 9/11, however, all terror outfits were adversely affected. Now it seems the endgame for LTTE is near.

Prabhakaran faulted in persisting with the demand for Eelam, or complete independence for Sri Lanka's Tamil regions in the north and northeast. No sovereign nation can support such a demand; autonomy yes, but independence no.

Now that Tigers have their backs to the wall, it is highly unlikely that Colombo will agree for a ceasefire. It is with great difficulty that the government has been able to reach this decisive point; it is unlikely to let go off the advantage. The only way out is for Tigers to lay down arms and for Colombo to offer amnesty to surrendering LTTE cadres. In this perhaps India can help.

Romi Kapoor
Mumbai

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