Without giving too much away, the movie is on the surface a tale about a child who grew up in the slums of Mumbai.Throughout his journey he faces persecution from police, organized crime, and violent religious factions. He lives hand-to-mouth whatever his surroundings — slums, garbage dumps, or call centres — but through a series of events finds himself as a contestant on an Indian version of ‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire’.
Within George’s article he provocatively questions whether by highlighting the bad side of a developing India the movie might be an attempt by the Western world put down a great civilization that is rebounding to its glory of yore. This question made me rethink what the movie might represent to people living within and outside of India, and changed my perception of the movie from simply being a rags-to-riches Hollywood fairytale. It highlighted to me that the film was more than simply a good story; that there was inherent reality within the story too.
Game show aspects aside, the India portrayed in the film was, in part, the India I saw when I was there — an India that was in the same breath amazing, stunning, creative, but also being held back by organized crime, poverty, corruption, and bureaucracy for the sake of bureaucracy (e.g. for fun try purchasing a train ticket through the lengthy hand written form).
The slums I saw while traveling were shocking not only due to their frequency, but also because of their approximation and contrast with their surroundings; a slum could be located adjacent to an opera house, shopping mall, or modern downtown apartment complex. To put it into perspective, imagine a permanent acre-wide slum backing onto the Eaton’s Centre in downtown Toronto.
The contrast between rich and poor was equally stunning. Poverty in some cases was so extreme that mothers were literally sleeping on the dirty sidewalks with their babies, and Oliver-Twist style beggars who’d lost limbs through accidents, or ‘purposeful’ actions scrambled for spare change.
Beyond all this though, what I saw when I was there was a society in transition despite having the odds stacked against it. What I also saw was an India that was developing and transforming rapidly. Examples of this rapid development include: Delhi legislating the use of green fuelfor Taxis and Tuk-Tuks to reduce smog and carbon emissions in one of the most heavily polluted cities in the world; massive IT centres like those within Hyderabad; and pilot projects to tax reform which will provide stable funding for much needed infrastructure projects.
After reading George’s article, and reflecting on the movie again, I realized that Slumdog represents a refreshing look at India. It portrays the India bubbling just below the surface — the India that will hopefully help the rest of the world better understand the contemporary reality of this complex country. India is more than a tourist brochure for a new age spiritual movement or backdrop for an Indiana Jones movie. Slumdog Millionaire demontrates, albeit with some embellishment, that India is an actual place with real people facing universally experienced problems — poverty, adversity, lost love, and crime.
A movie is simply art and so it is by and large ‘in the eye of the beholder’, but hopefully by providing a refreshing take on India, and by highlighting its problems – poverty, crime, corruption, etc. – in a movie of mass appeal, India, as well as the western world, can start working toward solutions. Oliver Twist helped highlight issues inherent in a rapidly industrializing London, and hopefully Slumdog Millionaire can do the same for a rapidly developing Mumbai.
I enjoyed traveling within India, and enjoyed this film too. Far from being a put down of India I think the movie highlights a problem in search of a solution which can, hopefully, only make a good thing better.
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Adam M 02.03.09 at 2:45 am
I have never been to India but I am familiar with these criticisms.
I think it is virtuous to try to tell these difficult truths and that when people talk about what they loved about India they always make mention of the slums and the differences between the rich and poor. Something about the humanity of it seems to inspire people and they really see something when they’re there that’s a real common thread for most visitors.
I find there’s a bit of a trend for people in India to get angry at films that show the less favorable sides of the country but I find that these also tend to be some of the greatest films. It’s hard to put your finger on juts why but there’s nothing wrong with telling a story the way you see it and not glossing over the unpleasant parts or trying to portray them as less harsh than they are.
I loved this movie and I am excited that all these nominations, wins, and hopefully future Oscar wins will get people to see it. This is truly one of my favorite films I’ve seen in over a year.