Gutters or Glory : Has Slum*** Millionaire done us justice ?

OK OK ....so the Oscars have been declared. And 'Slumdog Millionaire' has swept them all. I know what you are thinking...this is going to be just another post full of quasi-film-criticism and what-a-glorious-moment-for-indian-cinema-isms , but sorry to disappoint you! For all those who know me well, my maverick nature shall not allow me to do so (need to keep up the reputation darling). I shall try to shed light on 'the depiction of India in films and it's socio-economic repercussions' (did I hear a yawn already?).

Well, being serious, one can't help but be astonished at the rags-to-riches story of a rags-to-riches movie that started out as project, unheard of, to a phenomenon, that raked most of the awards this year. 'Slumdog Millionaire' is the touching story of a boy from the slums of Mumbai. It is the story of his life, as he travels from the filth of the shanties, to winning 2 crores at 'Kuan Banega Crorepati' and being reunited with the love of his life. Slumdog is based on a book called 'Q & A' written by a Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup (I heard that the book will now be published as 'Slumdog Millionaire'). I had seen the movie as soon as the initial buzz started, and I knew that it was to be a Oscar surety. But, after the initial excitement subsided, I began to think about whether the film actually deserved all the feel-good vicarious response it was generating from India.

First of all, looking back, India & indian films haven't exactly been the favorites of the Oscar fraternity. Only two Indian movies have been nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category in the last 50 years, and neither won. A.R Rehman is only the 3rd Indian to have won the Academy award after Bhanu Athaiya (costume design, 1983) and Satyajit Ray (lifetime achievement, 1992) . Of course, we take much pleasure in declaring the triumphs of “mainstream” pictures with an Indian connection – the seven Oscars won by Richard Attenborough’s 'Gandhi' in 1983, for instance, or the success of 'The Sixth Sense', written and directed by a Philadelphian of Indian descent, Manoj Night Shyamalan. Also, the current Oscar winning movie is nothing but a movie made by a Westerner about India. So frankly, why do we need people of foreign origin, traveling millions of miles to our country, to showcase Indian cinema ? Isn't the Indian film industry, largest in terms of the number of films produced each year, capable of doing the same, and with finesse too ?

Another point to note is : do we really need to win an Oscar to prove the greatness of Indian cinema ? I mean it is nothing but a statuette contolled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) itself being composed of ageing actors and studio honchos. Our country has produced great filmmakers such as Shyam Benegal, Ritwik Ghatak, Adoor Gopalakrishnan whose art is simply beyond awards.

It is interesting to note that the bulk of the credits went to Danny Boyle, the director, and his team from overseas for the 'genius'. In reality, if all the behind the scenes that I have seen on TV are to be believed, the Indian team also had a lot of contribution in all aspects of the movie and I guess that they are being sidelined here. From Loveleen Tandon who managed to collect the cast members in under 11 months to the art direction by Abhishek Redkar; from Udita Bhargava at the cameras to Riyaz Merchant designing costumes; from effervescent Anil Kapoor to the child actors from the slums; our guys from India are a part of making Slumdog a success as much as the rest of the team and are happy being treated as the underdogs.

I agree with the critics when describe the SM experience as 'poverty porn'. The poverty & hunger in India has always attracted and fascinated the global audience; not only in India as a free country but even when it was a colony. However, there is another side of India that has come up with rise of the IT industry that is eating into stereotypical perceptions. Slumdog has depicted India's poverty and hunger with plots, scenes and exaggerations of brutalisation and dehumanisation accompanying them. There are many facets of India that Danny has taken more liberty with than he could be allowed artistically.

The fact that the protagonist in the film, Dev Patel, as Jamal Malik, is refered to as a 'slum ***' (no swear words guys, this blog is rated U), itself is very derogatory. I don't blame the Mumbai slum dwellers welfare group for filing a defamation suit. But sadly, the suit is filed against the actors, Anil Kapoor and AR Rehman, and not the main culprits, the filmmakers.To the dismay of Indian liberals, a judge has admitted a petition against the filmmakers, but it is difficult to believe the case will go far.

While watching the film there is another scene that irked me beyond repair and that was a scene when some British tourists rescue the kids from the hands of a corrupt policeman. Thus, the film shows Indians as conniving, unprincipled, and ruthless, and that the only compassionate people in the film are a pair of white tourists who give the protagonist some money. Of course, one may argue that this is Boyle's view of things but, one cannot simply dismiss the dark undercurrents.

So think again people, do we really need to be happy about a victory that isn't really ours ? I am very pleased that the musical genius of AR Rehman and the technical prowess of Resul Pookutty has been honored, but should we be applauding a film that is an unshackled depiction of our country in bad light. "Slum voyeurism" of the economic depression disabled Americans and Europeans is understandable enough but, we should not allow it at the cost of our dignity. We, as Indians, have always been churning out good films and should be proud of that fact. Jai Ho !