Slumdog's Bark Bigger Than Bite

Rating: Null/10 (26 October 2012)

The controversial title and ultimate foreshadowing of the unravelling story are revealed within the first ten minutes of the film, as an energetic cluster of rambunctious young boys cheer in the spirit of competition and run rampant during a seemingly simple game of cricket on a warm, sunny afternoon.
Except these children are mainly seen wearing filthy, mud-soiled tank tops, and have their game suddenly interrupted by the eminent threat of howling police officers who chase them through the vast sea of garbage and waste that comprises the slums of India. Dashing barefoot through crowded alley ways and past polluted streams or hurdling over a never- ending maze of flimsy tin roofs, the children portrayed in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire reveal a definite misconstrued view of India's poverty, culture and circumstances.
The film depicts the troubled life of young Jamal Malik; an orphaned boy who manages to eventually escape the harsh trials and tribulations of the slums and life as an impoverished vagrant to appear on India's version of the popular game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. Along the way, flashbacks of his childhood burst on to the screen, filled with recurring images of violence, suffering, poverty, deception, corruption, and fear. Although Jamal is accused of cheating on the show and tortured repeatedly, (after all, "what the hell can a 'slumdog' possibly know" anyway, right?) he eventually wins the grand prize: 20 million rupees and, more importantly, the long lost love of his life.
Despite the occasional colourful scene of laughter and brief moments of happiness, the viewer is immersed into a world where practically every single wealthy Indian character is a cruel and greedy oppressor who overpowers and controls the very souls of the staggering amount of underprivileged individuals; a world where the rich are really rich, and the poor are really, desperately, unbearably poor. This tendency to place negative Western stereotypes of other cultures in popular culture and the media is rather problematic, as it promotes misrepresentations of poverty , religion, customs, and status. The way children and childhoods from various cultures, especially those from 'third world' countries, are viewed is through a lens that distorts our perception of reality and people. This lens is what Edward Said refers to as Orientalism , and impacts the treatment, morals, and values of the people it categorizes.
I am certainly not attempting to be oblivious to the undeniable fact that there are indeed huge slums in India, which is an important issue this film has successfully highlighted, nor is it my intention to demean the adversity or impoverishment that many children (from all over the world) face on a daily basis. Nevertheless, we must acknowledge that the repeated themes of poverty and corruption dominant2 in this film are persistent social constructions formed and manipulated by Western societies, labelling 'developing countries' in such a way that suppresses their progress and enables judgement and inequality. We must also consider and ask ourselves the following: who created this movie4? The answer is a British upper class white male; an outsider. The authentic and unique individual experiences of India's children can only be truly heard through Indian children themselves, whether living in alleys or apartments, streets or slums, condos or cardboard boxes. Needless to say, it is necessary to remember that this is in fact a film; a glorified Hollywood production and therefore a work of fiction, and should be enjoyed as such. It is not a documentary, nor is it based on a true story.
Fellow viewers, it is my hope that the next time you settle on the couch with a newly rented DVD, or claim the very best seat at the movie theatre to watch a film such as this one; you may think critically about what is being projected on screen as you munch on your buttered popcorn. Challenge stereotypical preconceptions, consider the lens in which the film is made and viewed, and ask many questions (although you may have to wait until the ending credits to avoid disrupting the couple behind you who keep kicking your chair). And to you all, I wish "Jai Ho"!