See it Like a Slumdog

I knew it as soon as the lights were switched off. The professor was going to attempt to critically analyse Slumdog Millionaire, framing it as one of Hollywood’s projects to give a false image of developing nations. I wasn't buying it.

It felt strange that, for once, I was not fully in agreement with the teacher's attempt to find ulterior agendas within the media. Wait, perhaps I should be more clear. I do believe it is important to reflect on the messages found in the movie, especially for the many people who will watch the film with no recognition that there possibly could be hidden agendas within the production/screening of the movie. However, after having watched it myself, I knew that criticizing the facts that "Mumbai was portrayed as dirty", "India was portrayed as poor", and "a white man was running the show" was pointless. Mumbai is dirty. India's population is predominantly poor. White people do run the show, be it Who Wants to be a Millionaire, the economy, politics, you name it.

I have traveled. No, not to India, but to rural parts of Mexico, Haiti, and Costa Rica. Life is muddy, death hovers over you, equality is nonexistent. How false would it have been if Hollywood had, instead of filming the slums of Mumbai, focused on serene mountains and pure, flowing streams? The movie was not meant to be a nature documentary, it was meant to view life from the eyes of a young person who had lived as a "slumdog"- an Untouchable from the streets of the most populous city in the world. From an Untouchable's point of view, police are brutal, you do search through garbage dumps in search of food and valuable items, and you are mistreated by the general public. Slumdog Millionaire did not glorify anything in a typical Hollywood sense except for the fact that an Untouchable was even allowed to rise up in status, something which is virtually impossible. And yes, there was the love story, but at least it was one that did away with the notions of the importance of virginity which is pervasive in traditional Indian culture.

I think we need to view this movie as a beautiful chance for individuals to see another reality and be aware of the inequalities that exist in society, not as an attack on India or its people. I commend the creators of this film for their excellent footage and the exceptional rawness of this film.