THE SLUMDOG THING

Ever since the release of Danny boyel’s “slumdog millionaire “and its huge success across the globe there have been numerous talks of it being selected because of the projection of India’s poverty. The dejection and the destitute of the people living in slums is being considered
as the main reason of it’s worldwide acclaim. But the question is “are the slums of India different from what it has been shown in the motion picture”. The slums of Mumbai are no different from what it has been depicted in the movie .According to the survey up 60% of Mumbai's population, that is approximately 7 million people are slum dwellers. . Slum inhabitants constantly have to deal with issues such as, constant migration, lack of water, no sewage or solid waste facilities, lack of public transit, pollution and housing shortages. Hence the situations depicted is not a figment of imagination of the director.

The comments of Mr.Amitabh Bachaan on his blog “If SM projects India as 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” simply express his frustration of not being a part of the movie. The movies itself has a scene in which the American lady tells Jamaal “this happens in our country as well”. All others criticizing the movie want to gain something out of it .Anybody who is nobody wants to be somebody at the expense of famous people like them. Moreover we should not forget that not only the background but the whole cast is Indian from a.r rahman to gulzar and anil kapoor. In addition to it it has been written by an Indian writer and the plot has been developed by him. So let’s not blame Danny Boyel for it .Let’s be optimistic and look into the positive points of the movie. The movie just doesn’t depict the destitute of India it also depicts the fighting spirit of the male protagonist Jamaal. It shows that it is not the bookish knowledge or the studies of school that makes one wise. The wisdom can be achieved by the analysis of day to day happenings. It shows the true love of Jamaal for Latika which never fades away. The movie does not have a tragic ending or a climax which shows that dreams never turn to reality but it gives a ray of hope to those who have stopped dreaming .It shows that life might not be a bed of roses but hard work and faith never goes unrewarded. True prayers are never left unanswered. It has a moral that you are what your thinking makes you. Jamaal and Salim were subjected to same conditions and circumstances but how one grew to be a gangster and the other turned into a simple person who later became a millionaire. In the end all I can say is positive things happen to positive people.