tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post214612948990394835..comments2023-10-07T22:37:49.244+13:00Comments on The Hand Mirror: slumdog millionairekatyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15742280289613450293noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-33597470291877231412009-02-26T10:30:00.000+13:002009-02-26T10:30:00.000+13:00Here's a link to a discussion about the film at Bi...Here's a link to a discussion about the film at <A HREF="http://bitchphd.blogspot.com/2009/02/samhita-on-slumdog.html" REL="nofollow">Bitch PhD</A>, which has links to a couple of other interesting posts too.<BR/><BR/>I saw the film recently and hope to come back and write a proper comment when I have some time. Thanks for starting this discussion Anjum.Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08977150346842277994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-83403467594429127882009-02-26T03:05:00.000+13:002009-02-26T03:05:00.000+13:00however, there is a difference between "oliver twi...<I>however, there is a difference between "oliver twist" and SM, and that difference is context</I><BR/><BR/>How about the "context" of British cinema -- and while Danny Boyle's own 'Trainspotting', 'My Beautiful Laundrette', 'Boys from the Blackstuff', the films of Dennis Potter, Shane Meadows, Ken Loach, Mike Lee and many more might not have gotten much distribution in India, it wasn't all Merchant-Ivory heritage porn. (And there's a thesis to be written on the little irony that the best known purveyors of these lush but bloodless -- and awfully monochromatic -- British period pieces were a gay American director and his Indian partner.) More Brideshead benighted than revisited.<BR/><BR/>And it's highly questionable how well commercial Indian cinema stands up to critical analysis when it comes to the "sentimentalisation of poverty", and enforcing repressive gender and social norms.Craig Ranapiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08923246310584658857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-83537052026376418032009-02-26T00:30:00.000+13:002009-02-26T00:30:00.000+13:00I found this Indian blog with genuine perspectives...I found this Indian blog with genuine perspectives of Indians on this movie.<BR/><BR/>Quite interesting - make you think on how we patronize them...<BR/><BR/>http://www.indiasoulcurry.com/2009/02/slumdog-millionaire-indian-perspective.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-65548041938093562942009-02-25T12:36:00.000+13:002009-02-25T12:36:00.000+13:00I haven't seen the film, but most of the negative ...I haven't seen the film, but most of the negative reaction I heard/read from Indians has been centred around the sentimentalisation of poverty rather than the the fact that the root causes were being ignored or even that poverty was displayed at all. I think those who have commented that the outsider perspective complicates things are absolutely right - doesn't an Indian-made-in-India-by-Indians film like Lagaan for instance sentimentalise poverty and simplify history too? But I have some sympathy for the position. I know how I feel about films of this kind made about my country (Cinema Paradiso, etc.) and in two words is "not good".Giovanni Tisohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10618534731338616708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-67121212894983631492009-02-25T09:29:00.000+13:002009-02-25T09:29:00.000+13:00i don't know if a century or two will be enoug...i don't know if a century or two will be enough actually, particularly with the strong nationalism that is coming through and a very strong backlash from the religious conservatives to anything other than "traditional" values & culture (for which, see the post on the pink chaddi campaign). in fact, the religious right in india are pretty much akin to the religious right in america (except the indian ones are more deadly) and have had just a big an impact on politics.<BR/><BR/>i don't see an end in sight any time soon, so the "anti-west" sentiment may last quite some time. in that light, criticism of SM seems to me to be quite petty, and i also wonder whether the main characters being muslim have a little something to do with the negativity.<BR/><BR/>and yet, i can still sympathise with the view that people are sick of seeing their country in a negative light. i'd better get out and see the movie soon!stargazerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430290445762377335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-40189980556173633752009-02-25T08:03:00.000+13:002009-02-25T08:03:00.000+13:00so a totally false comparison.Not a comparison, me...<I>so a totally false comparison.</I><BR/><BR/>Not a comparison, merely a factual correction. Also, I'm sure it won't take India 900 years to get over it - a century or two should do it.Psycho Milthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00779500926576047736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-77595669556601312412009-02-24T23:53:00.000+13:002009-02-24T23:53:00.000+13:00Slumdog Millionaire is really a great movie, i'm h...Slumdog Millionaire is really a great movie, i'm happy for the Oscar !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-90202235858240422812009-02-24T22:35:00.000+13:002009-02-24T22:35:00.000+13:00India is a wonderfully rich and diverse country fu...India is a wonderfully rich and diverse country full of wonderful people who get on with life despite the terrible poverty that surrounds them and their society.<BR/><BR/>I spent time there and loved it, and movies like SDM is pure excapism, just like the thousands of Bollywood movies. In India there is an extreme conservative element, and they are always pouring hate on outside influences and how people depict them. <BR/><BR/>Believe me when I say this extreme element is largely ignored by the majority who I am sure are happy to have attention drawn to their society.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-84652990582825943922009-02-24T16:53:00.000+13:002009-02-24T16:53:00.000+13:00I find that much of the criticism of this movie do...I find that much of the criticism of this movie dodges the fact that it is based on a book, written by Vikas Swarup (who was born in India, but I don't know where he grew up or anything). I read the book years ago and loved it, all the while reading it as a bit of a fairy story, and the movie accurately (to my mind) represents the sense of the book, though it doesn't stick as closely to the actual story (in particular I have problems with the movie's treatment of Latika--her story is quite different in the book--but that is another comment).<BR/><BR/>Given the history of this story, it feels to me like the opposition is not really to the way India is portrayed, but to the fact that it is portrayed this way in a mass-market movie, rather than a book which might not be so widely read.Placebogirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12524697261574764139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-55930384994970554672009-02-24T16:07:00.000+13:002009-02-24T16:07:00.000+13:00Granted, Lord of the Rings was a weak comparison, ...Granted, Lord of the Rings was a weak comparison, I used it because I think Slumdog was equally distant from reality. My point is that nationalists often cry "this doesn't represent our country", and they are always technically correct, as no one film (or whatever) ever will. But I thought Slumdog did a better job of representing the variety of India than most films.<BR/><BR/>Cheers<BR/><BR/>PS. I'm not sure Norman rule improved England, but otherwise I agree. The last conquerers to truly colonise Britain were probably the Romans, and even their exploitation of the countries resources was limited to what the British did to the world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-26333761727124366502009-02-24T13:23:00.000+13:002009-02-24T13:23:00.000+13:00ah yes, cricket. i game i used to love and spent ...ah yes, cricket. i game i used to love and spent endless hours of my childhood & youth watching. but ever since the match-fixing scandals, i always wonder if teams are playing to win or playing to lose. in fact, i feel that way about most sport now, and tennis is about the only thing i enjoy any more. but that's a whole other topic!<BR/><BR/>and india of course in undefinable, vast and varied, full of the worst and the best. i did wonder whether the reaction to SM was because it was basically a western production, as you hear that coming out in a lot of the comments. but then deepa mehta is desi, though canadian by nationality i think, and she has faced heaps of criticism too.stargazerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430290445762377335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-20807388693706644642009-02-24T12:48:00.000+13:002009-02-24T12:48:00.000+13:00I wrote the Once Were Warriors comment above. I do...I wrote the Once Were Warriors comment above. <BR/><BR/>I don't think a defensive reaction is necessary. At the end of the day, it's a work of fiction. It's basically a fairy tale and I don't think it's a symptom of Western attitudes towards India.<BR/><BR/>If you're stupid enough to ignore India's rich culture, philosophy, literature, science, food and cricketers and believe everything you see in the movies, then you are a poorer person for that. <BR/><BR/>Personally, I am looking forward to Virender Sehwag playing the Black Caps. I mean, don't you think it's ironic that the Indians play a game invented by the English better than the English and that curry is now the national dish of England because our own food was so shit?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-34189750390164116592009-02-24T11:22:00.000+13:002009-02-24T11:22:00.000+13:00danyl, i know that there has been plenty of affirm...danyl, i know that there has been plenty of affirmative action in india to improve the condition of lower castes - to the extent of reservation of 45% of university student intake for them. for example. as to how successful these programmes have been, i don't know. and of course discrimination based on religion is alive and well.<BR/><BR/>anonymous, i'm not reading anything into the story cos i haven't seen it yet. i was reading into the response to the film in india and looking at the reasons behind that.<BR/><BR/>psycho milt, i think the last time england was conquered by outside forces was in 1066. so i guess in 940 years from now, indians will have gotten over it too. and even then, the conquerors didn't bleed the country dry by sending wealth offshore. they stayed and became part of the country & in fact improved it. so a totally false comparison.<BR/><BR/>sam, again i think you're missing the point i was trying to make about context. nz hasn't had a lot of constant negative attention on a global scale; LOTR wasn't even negative attention nor was it about nz (it was only shot in nz), so isn't anywhere near appropriate as a comparison. once were warriors is a more appropriate comparison, and i would make the same points as i made about oliver twist.<BR/><BR/>in any case, i don't necessarily agree with the defensive reaction that has been felt by many indians in india & around the world. but i do understand it.stargazerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430290445762377335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-30920524471142255462009-02-24T11:07:00.000+13:002009-02-24T11:07:00.000+13:00There's plenty to criticise in Slumdog Millionaire...There's plenty to criticise in Slumdog Millionaire, but as a depiction of India I didn't think it was so bad - it's a ditzy fairytale, but it shows the poverty and the wealth, the westernised and the traditional sides of India. It has the usual British obsession with gangsters, but expecting it to give a balanced picture of India is like expecting 'Lord of the Rings' to accurately depict New Zealand.<BR/><BR/>Cheers<BR/><BR/>Sam BuchananAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-59327973486134330122009-02-24T10:47:00.000+13:002009-02-24T10:47:00.000+13:00of course, england being one of the colonising cou...<I>of course, england being one of the colonising countries never had to face that kind of environment.</I><BR/><BR/>Actually, the British Isles have been invaded and colonised multiple times, and we English are mongrels of a bunch of different cultures. We got over it.Psycho Milthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00779500926576047736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-3592357874085757422009-02-24T10:38:00.000+13:002009-02-24T10:38:00.000+13:00I thought it was a good film in terms of the love ...I thought it was a good film in terms of the love story. <BR/><BR/>I mean, should we come out with a scathing attack on Once Were Warriors because of the way it depicts NZ?<BR/><BR/>Social problems shouldn't be swept under the carpet.<BR/><BR/>I think you're reading too much into it, most viewers are intelligent enough to realise it's a fictional story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-14104730236238886562009-02-24T07:34:00.000+13:002009-02-24T07:34:00.000+13:00if SM projects India as [a] third-world, dirty, un...<I>if SM projects India as [a] 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.</I><BR/><BR/>Yeah, you have this kind of false equivilency conversation all the time in India; there is poverty in the west but the reality is that its NOTHING like the poverty in India, in the sense of misery or scale. And India was a colony horribly exploited by the British - but its neighbour China was horribly exploited by Maoism in much more recent times and it's STILL considerably richer than India. The reality is that contemporary indian poverty tends to be caste based (the Dalit's are horribly poor) or religious (as in Slumdog, many slum residents are muslim). Rural poverty - which is far worse than that of the slums - is seen by India's (incredibly corrupt) cultural elite as somehow noble and holy - a relic of Gandhi's very odd notions of Hindu nationalism - and not, therefore, something they need to do anything about.Danylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13311640522845983736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770341086445997547.post-21907709270201551032009-02-24T03:05:00.000+13:002009-02-24T03:05:00.000+13:00Indian reaction:http://www.indiasoulcurry.com/2009...Indian reaction:<BR/><BR/>http://www.indiasoulcurry.com/2009/02/slumdog-millionaire-indian-perspective.htmlasAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com