Demystifying Slumdog

so what became of those 2 poor kids from the slums who acted in the movie? mr. producer said that he would set up a fund for them so they can get good life and education, did that happened?

aljazeera made a documentry about the living conditions of the expat labors in uae,called "Slumdogs & Millionaires",that gave the arabs a hell of a cramp 'cause aljazeera shot it in secret and no one knew about it till they broadcast it!!!whoopsy!!!

Re: # 29

By the way Patrick, I am not necessarily casting Salim as the hero-that's clearly Jamal. Salim is an anti hero.

Re: # 29

Patrick,

Salim as just a "slimeball"? That's one reading and not the only one.

Spot-on observation, Diditi, and kudos for stepping up and penning down words that have been lurking in my subconscious for a long, long time. :)
Your column reminds me of this dialogue from the film "Munna Bhai MBBS" where a Chinese tourist is taking photographs of India commenting, "poor people, hungry people."
Unfortunately, that really is all that the west ends up observing about our subcontinental countries. Sadder though is the fact that perhaps development here on the whole is not happening at a pace that would yield visible-enough results for the West to appreciate.
Until that happens, I guess there are plenty more film-makers and fiction writers that can hit it big here, eh? :)

re. neembu #20
"... money is irrelevant to Salim, he's the Irish/Italian mobster who's a Catholic and does hits, comes back home and prays. He dies a gangsta death of glory and rebellion-he's taken out two crime bosses on his own impetus."

That's Bull-bull! Salim was just your regular slimeball who, despite himself, couldn't overcome the guilt of having his own flesh and blood - and innocent flesh at that - become another victim of his boss's callousness. No hero there, just another cad with nothing more to lose.

Re: # 27

glad to oblige :)

neembu: Is that red flag to attract attention to Hamidm's post?? How come you never red flag my posts???!!

Kulharee ji you are on the money. I have the same opinion.

hamid sahib, i'm flagging your post for as usual ignoring my requests to not use any other name than neembu, and secondly, as i sense a hamidmianesque stream of consciousness stand up riff erupting from the golden globes of your lips (as per your believers), let me step back and let you issue forth.

Pray tell, what was intriguing about the character of Salim?

B)

Re: # 20

samina,

........ i agree with your take on salim - his character was the most intriguing

Re: # 22

slumdog and/or bollywood as magical realism?

Isn’t Bollywood built all around providing fantasy to a nation of a billion strong? If you can put up with women singing and dancing in the rain, guys sliding on their butts on ski slopes, people singing and dancing atop a moving train, and a bunch of desis beating the English in cricket wearing lungis with their home-made bats, then why is it so hard to accept a different yet similar entertaining and somewhat fantastical story?

The name Diditi is nice (are you reading this Dost Mitra?).

What does it mean? Something to do with 'Deedee' (elder sister)?

Jamal and Salim, by the end are free, and as Janis Joplin sings, "have nothing left to lose." What's awesome about this film is that by the end, money is irrelevant to Salim, he's the Irish/Italian mobster who's a Catholic and does hits, comes back home and prays. He dies a gangsta death of glory and rebellion-he's taken out two crime bosses on his own impetus.

Jamal could care less about money, but he needs to get Latika's attention and possibly buy her from the crime boss by whom she's imprisoned. He speaks "truth to power" when over and over, his narrative disrupts the national institutional myths of Mother India. His only goal is love, reunification with his murdered mom/india/latika.

Re: # 13
Kul,
I am not bothered about people's perception...if some stupid draw conclusion from movies, then let them be.....Mumbai dharavi is a real Hell on earth (I have stayed in Mumbai for 2 years) and is much more of reality than Marine drive/Juhu....the point is not showing truth...whether, the movie was based on propaganda or carrying some message (which has adopted Dharavi as background)...even the author of the book (Q & A) is not happy about the movie....he wanted to convey something and the director made something else!!!!
May be,somehow,I am not able to articulate properly....

Stuka Sahib, is there is a law in India against talking with confidence to cops ?