Slumdog Millionaire

A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers.

Deze film, die dus gaat over het leven in de sloppenwijken van Mumbai, is een echte hype in Indië. De meningen en commentaren zijn verdeeld:

"it is not a case of the infamous western eye ferreting out oriental squalor and peddling it as the exotic dirt bowl of the east. No, Slumdog Millionaire is just a piece of riveting cinema, meant to be savoured as a Cinderella-like fairy tale, with the edge of a thriller and the vision of an artist. It was never meant to be a documentary on the down and out in Dharavi. And it isn't"

"So many films — both features and documentaries — have been made around the subject of poverty in India. The protests started only when Slumdog Millionaire started winning international awards. The unkind way of looking at this is to argue that there is no value in complaining about the obscure — only protests about the famous can become famous. But then, it is equally true that only popular films actually do impact the way people see things and hence Slumdog Millionaire is worth complaining only now, that it is an Oscar nominated film. The celebration of the film is an implicit certification of its authenticity and this raises questions if indeed this is so. "

"Slumdog Millionaire" is an engaging and inspirational ride that will have you stating a million reasons to see it"

"Does the West have a vested interest in pinning India to its poverty by refusing to acknowledge the progress it has undoubtedly made in the last few years? Is India interesting only because it is poor? Is the gratuitous use of poverty nothing but an exploitative use of someone else's misery for one's diversion?(Bron: Times of India)

Deze film leeft sterk onder de Indiërs en heeft ervoor gezorgd dat het debat over armoede weer geopend is. Een debat dat sommigen niet willen aangaan...Bang om de waarheid onder ogen te zien?
Ik zou zeggen: kom naar Indië en beslis zelf!