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This year’s pseudo-foreign import — just in time for Academy Awards season! — is a Horatio Alger story (called a “fairy tale” by some), Slumdog Millionaire, whose mouthful of a title may make usage in conversation a bit of a self-conscious affair, but whose supposed “momentum” in the Oscar race is unsurprising. Slumdog Millionaire is rooted in the detritus of India, but like any good former-colonialist-turned-tourist, director Danny Boyle takes Mumbai and universalizes the struggle of its impoverished inhabitants.

One of my New Year resolutions (and probably the only one I will be able to keep) is to watch more masala movies. Masala is the Hindi word for spice or, in practice, a mixture of spices; the often complex blend of flavors that makes a dish taste just right. Masala movie making also uses a variety of flavors - including melodrama, comedy, action and musical numbers - hopefully in a combination that proves delicious, or at least doesn’t give you a stomachache.
The masala philosophy can be seen in many, …

ave you ever outgrown a friend? Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan has a friend like that. This guy has used many names, but let’s just call him Raj. Shahrukh and Raj have been inseparable for years - ever since Raj burst onto the scene in 1995, in Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge - but their relationships seems strained in the new film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

An urban fantasy that doesn’t shy away from the dark side of fairy tales, Slumdog Millionaire is vibrant, beautifully crafted, and the feel-human movie of 2008.