In my review of the movie I did not exactly predict that the reception of Slumdog Millionaire in India would be mixed and problematic, though I had wondered since writing it what the reception in India, indeed, would be.
This article from the BBC informs me that the movie is only just opening in India, and that, yes, the reaction is mixed. I am interested to see how the film fares. One aspect of my review does seem borne out, though, and that is the relative shallowness of the story of love and riches in comparison to the depth of human suffering in Mumbai and India at large, which the movie, to its credit, does touch upon in fairly artful and sensitive ways.
Also, in sharp contrast to the film, the two youngest versions of the protagonists in the film still live in a slum! On some levels this should not be shocking–perhaps it would be false to pluck them out of their lives with a new house, etc. simply for being in the film–and yet if there lives have not been bettered in some way (and they may have been in ways that this article does not allude to), their use does seem a touch exploitive, especially seeing the film has turned out to be such a blockbuster.
Thoughts? For a sample of some more articles, search articles from the Times of India.
