Slumdog Millionaire, the movie that is causing ripples around the world, has not gone too well among certain audiences. Well, most of my friends thought that the movie has been overrated and over-hyped, there is nothing extraordinary about it.Recently, Amitabh Bachchan criticised the 'portrayal of India' in the movie, he said, "If SM projects India as a third-world, dirty, underbelly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky underbelly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations."
Obviously when an actor of his stature, makes a comment like that, it would get lot of media attention. Its a different story that he later backtracked saying it was a collation of comments from his readers.
If you haven't seen the movie yet, its about rags to riches story. An orphan staying in Mumbai slums who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of Who Wants to be A Millionaire, he appears on the show to connect with his lost love.
The boy is just one question away from winning Rs 20 million, when the show breaks for the night, and he is arrested by the cops who think he is cheating. Then the boy narrates the story of his life.
When I heard about the movie, and read the reviews it did feel this movie is stereotyping Indians to the world. Like a friend, Neeti Mehra said, "That's what foreigners think of India, poverty, call centers and Mother Teresa. The script of Slumdog showed the 'cliched' India, staying in Mumbai we have seen all of that."
The movie has appealed to the world, and it has been directed by Danny Boyle, known for Trainspotting. Many filmmakers have disagreedwith Bachchan's comment, saying that the audience judge a film based on how its made, and not on the basis of its maker.
But if an Indian director had made a western film, it probably wouldn't have been so hyped up. What do you think about Slumdog Millionaire and its plot?
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