SLUMDOG MILLIONIARE:
the new mantra in India.. The film has been both celebrated and protested by many Indians; some feel the film pays tribute to the city’s spirit, others accuse Danny Boyle, the director, of exploiting the poor.
Acc to wikipedia:
"Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A (2005) by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup.
Really dont understand the whole controversy that mars ine film. Set and filmed in India, Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a young man from the slums of Mumbai(but talks in english.. mind you) who somehow appears on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (Kaun Banega Crorepati's english version) and exceeds people's expectations, arousing the suspicions of the game show host and of law enforcement officials."
Some have a notion that Slumdog Millionaire is a totally cheap attempt to exploit the bad sides of India (whoa..poverty porn as they call it!). But others think that the movie is a truthful depiction of India - both good and bad.
Lets c wat the two sides of the coin are:
The negatives:
When I saw the movie, it had just created ripples in the world front. So guess i was free of all prejudice at that time.A few hours later I was wincing in my seat. The film opens with a scene of horrible violence: a man hanging from the ceiling of a police station, being tortured to unconsciousness. It moves swiftly into scenes of utter misery and depravity, in which small starving children are beaten, mutilated and perverted. Hell broke loose when i saw the scene where a young boy jumps into a pool of s*** to get Amitabh's autograph. yikesssssss
And when i thought i just had enough of the POVERTY DOSE, there were scenes of mothers dying horribly in front of their sons, small kids being turned into beggars. I hope it won't spoil the feel-good surprise if I tell you that one particularly sadistic scene shows a young boy having his eyes burnt out with acid to maximise the profits of street begging..
the positives: Its bought INDIA to the international pedestrial where we longed to reach till last year..Slumdog Millionaire is a movie with heart, soul and, ultimately, a message of HOPE. The fact the main characters are from the slums is a plot device that lends itself well to the dramatic storyline. And about the criticism being thrown into the face of Mr. Boyle, please consider that Mumbai and the dark side of it (slums and poverty) have been fascinating subjects for his INDIAN counterparts as well. take into consideration, the REALISTIC madhur bhandarkar's footpath and the famous Salaam Bombay. So the subject is not new, maybe the international exposure to the subject is.
Nonetheless, the fact that 75% of the population still lives on under 30 rupees a day highlights the fact that the much-hyped Indian economic boom has had little positive impact on vast swathes of the country's population. The 300 million-strong army of the advancing middle class that has benefited from the boom is increasingly leaving behind the rest. Indian society is becoming increasingly polarised.
Well guess it is a never- ending discussion about whats good and whats not. Take what suits you and criticise the rest is an old policy.
As far as I am concerned, I applaud the Indian effort in the foreign film. However taking the full credit of the movie is not really justified. The Indian contribution is remarkable and the contribution of this movie to the indian cinema can also be felt by one and all... :)
