deepak pace
DJ_DEE
It's an award-winning film that's now being described as poverty porn. A fierce debate is raging over Slumdog Millionaire, the rags-to-riches story of a boy from Mumbai's slums.
Are the film and its director Danny Boyle simply using India's poverty and misery to win awards in the West? Is it a film that once again reinforces the West's worst stereotypes about India?
Slumdog Millionaire has started a debate on how Indians perceive themselves and how the West perceives Indians. Diplomat Vikas Swaroop, the author of the book Q and A – from which Slumdog Millionaire is inspired - says that while the subject might be grim, the message of hope shines through the film.
"Nothing is wrong with showing slum life as long as it has a human element. That's the strength of the film. My book is about hope optimism and triumph of the human spirit. The film also. From that point of view, I see nothing objectionable," he said.
But critics argue as to how many times will Mumbai's, or India's, dark underbelly be exposed? After all the Dharavi formula was perfected more than two decades ago in Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay.
Are the film and its director Danny Boyle simply using India's poverty and misery to win awards in the West? Is it a film that once again reinforces the West's worst stereotypes about India?
Slumdog Millionaire has started a debate on how Indians perceive themselves and how the West perceives Indians. Diplomat Vikas Swaroop, the author of the book Q and A – from which Slumdog Millionaire is inspired - says that while the subject might be grim, the message of hope shines through the film.
"Nothing is wrong with showing slum life as long as it has a human element. That's the strength of the film. My book is about hope optimism and triumph of the human spirit. The film also. From that point of view, I see nothing objectionable," he said.
But critics argue as to how many times will Mumbai's, or India's, dark underbelly be exposed? After all the Dharavi formula was perfected more than two decades ago in Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay.