hello frnds..................

Amitabh Bachchan kicked-off the debate whether Slumdog Millionaire made capital of India’s poverty by feeding Western audiences what they always want to see—An India so poor that kids run naked on its streets, bullock carts block traffic, and snake charmers sit at every possible corner to make a living. There was a huge brouhaha at that time with many of the so called intelligentsia panning Mr. Bachchan for holding such a narrow view.

One of the Indian actors in the movie, Irfaan Khan, waxed eloquent about how we should stop brushing reality under the carpet, while another star, Anil Kapoor, found nothing wrong in showing the Western world what they want to see. Giving people what they want for a price is marketing, right? It’s a small matter that both actors managed to get recognition in the West and now may be harboring Hollywood aspirations. And which actor is ever going to rail and rant against his/her movie?

By writing what I have, I am not saying that we need to sweep poverty under the carpet. It’s a different matter that even if I want to, that’s not going to happen. Take Mumbai for instance—60% of its people live in slums, i.e., about 12 million people. When a plane lands or takes off, the poverty is there for all to see—forget having to visit Dharavi.

But I do take umbrage of this poverty being packaged as a message of hope and sold to Western audiences. Yes, we are a predominantly poor nation. Yes, any foreigner who has visited the country knows about it. And I don’t think we have ever tried to sweep that fact under anything, less a carpet. In Mumbai, we even have slum tours—read Dharavi--for foreigners to marvel. Then to praise the work of foreigners coming to India, filming that poverty, and peddling it to a Western audience is not only disgusting, but rank repulsive, to say the least. And I am not questioning the art, but the subject and the premise.

I saw Slumdog Millionaire and found it to be nothing so earth shattering that it deserves to be nominated for 10 Oscars. To me it is a slickly made song and dance movie akin to any other Bollywood flick. Then for Danny Boyle and his team to be interviewed across channels, be part of panel discussions shows the intelligence of our esteemed media. And for Boyle to say he is open to all criticism is like a criminal on death role saying he is open to being hanged. Does he have a choice?