Most of India is toasting to the success of Slumdog Millionaire at the Oscars today. A staggering eight Oscars, including two for India’s most loved and my favorite music composer – A.R.Rahman. Slum dog’s story is that of a young man’s trials, tribulations and eventual triumph set in the background of Asia’s biggest slum – Dharavi in Mumbai, India. However not all of India is celebrating the success.
A section of India is dismayed that the film has put a spot light on India’s underbelly – slums of urban India. The film captures in gory detail the poor living condition of urban India and many of its dark shades. Pictures that do not reconcile with the “India shining story,” pictures which renew the old “western” stereo type of India, pictures that makes you uncomfortable as an Indian. I too was initially sad when I saw the millions of dollars spent on promoting “Incredible India” by India’s Ministry of Tourism evaporate into the thin air. However I gave it some more thought and reconciled.
As some one said ‘For everything said about India, the opposite is also true”.
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