Millions of Slumdogs and handful of Millionaires

The Oscar award winning movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has recently captured the imagination of people all over the world including in India, thanks to widespread publicity given to it by the electronic and print media. In India, the so called celebrity artists and journalists are busy debating in the television studios whether it was an Indian movie and whether the Indians should celebrate its enormous success. The movie is a typical rags- to- riches story which traces the journey of a slum dweller in Mumbai who ends up winning Rs 1 crore in the famous TV show ‘Kaun Banega Karorepati’.

One would have expected that the success of the movie would bring the pathetic condition of slum dwellers in urban India into limelight and the debate would be focused on ameliorating these conditions. However, as it happens, the whole issue is being hijacked by the so called celebrities to make it Indian movie versus foreign movie issue.

For many middle class and upper class Indian for whom India is still shining, the film was unpalatable because it portrays India in very poor light. While there is an element of truth in the perception that the film became such a huge hit in the west because it reinforced the westerners’ imagination of India being a poor and third world country full of filth, diseases and slums, it is also true that the film actually showed the standard of living of majority of Indian working class and there was hardly any exaggeration. In fact it was shot in the slums of Mumbai instead of in a studio set. So, there was no fabrication of truth. It only portrayed an aspect of India which is conveniently overlooked by the mainstream Indian filmmakers in their urge to make big money because in their opinion, big banner movies shot in foreign locations and generating ‘feel good’ feelings are the recipe to gain huge amount of profit. These filmmakers are now raising eyebrows when some one from outside portrays what is easily visible in any of Indian cities.

Despite its real portrayal of the slums, the film is not exactly about the problems of slum dwellers. It does not focus about why the slums are created in the first place. Instead, it is about a myth that this system provides so much opportunity that even a slum dweller can hope to become a millionaire. As the movie progresses, it also departs from the reality. In reality, a slum dweller in India can hope to gain Rs 1 crore only by involving himself into underworld activities. Even if by chance one wins some lottery as is shown in the movie, it does not improve the lives of millions of slum dwellers in India who continue to live a life unworthy of living by a human being. An ideal climax would have been to make systemic changes to make the life of millions of slum dwellers humane rather than spreading the false dream of becoming millionaire. In many ways, the movie is a reflection of the capitalist thinking which also celebrates the fact that number of millionaires in India is increasing while ignoring the fact that millions of Indians are living inhuman life style. Like the modern day India, the movie also sets the false aspiration of becoming a millionaire rather than becoming a human being. No wonder, we like it or not India is a country of millions of Slumdogs and handful of Millionaires.