finding rickshaw.

I could rant for hours on why I disagree with the criticism from India regarding Slum Dog Millionaire (just ask Natassia).  Decorated and well-received in the West, Slum Dog wasn’t appreciated by everyone here and even offended some. Amitabh Bachchan (the most famous man in Bollywood) said that there is poverty in every country, why highlight India’s? Slum residents in Mumbai protested the movie by raiding theaters, protesting that they were humans, not dogs.  And my closest family in India said that the movie was a) unbelievable; no slum kid could win the show and b) and it didn’t portray the real India.

My Thoughts. Have you seen a typical Bollywood movie? Unbelievable love stories mixed with over-the-top fight scenes (Ghajni!) and of course, rags-to-raja/riches stories. I respect Bollywood because it is a fantastic business.  It understands what viewers want to see (an escape), replicates that model and makes millions on each movie. And, yes, America has poverty.  And corruption, war, greed and racism, too. But I’d argue that there are plenty of western movies that highlight these social issues.  Slum Dog is just one movie that focuses on a significant part of Indian life: 15% of India’s population lives in slums and >40% live in poverty.  Hopefully, this movie opens the door for more directors / producers to make more movies like Slum Dog or Lagaan, A Wednesday, and Fashion; movies that highlight the good and the bad of India.

Ahmedabad Slum Residents Thoughts. After hearing about the protests of slum residents, a co-worker wondered out loud whether these people had actually seen the movie or if someone had told them that should be outraged.  I took the movie to the Vasna slum and shared it with members of the Community Video Unit, a group of slum residents (men, women, Hindus, Muslims) that makes short films on social issues.  “Masthe” (Gujarati for best), they said.  The imagery, music and Jamal’s survival spirit were inspirational to them – especially as they continue to make movies. They recognized that “dog” was what others (police, upper class) thought of them, and how the movie suggested the opposite.

My 9 Year Old Cousin’s (Kanisha) Thoughts. I didn’t know how to respond to my family’s take on the movie. We have politely argued before on India’s poverty, communal relations, etc.  So when, my cousin and his son, Harsh (out of loyalty to his father, I think) didn’t like it, I wasn’t surprised. But I didn’t argue with them. They have lived in and experienced India far longer than I have and while I disagree with them, I respect their views.

Yesterday, my cousin’s 9 year old daughter, Kanisha (the originator of “very bad, ricky bhai”) pulled me aside and told me the following story: “At school yesterday, our Mam [teacher] told us that she saw Slum Dog.  She didn’t like it.  She said it wasn’t a true image of India.”  I started to interrupt her, but she stopped me and continued, “So today on the bus, me Prutha and Janvi [her two best friends] called Mam to our seats.  We were passing the same kind of area where you work and we told Mam to look out the window.  We pointed to little kids sleeping on the street and said to her, ‘Mam, is this not also India?”

~ by findingrickshaw on February 17, 2009.

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