Hey movie go-ers,
For those of you who have already seen "Slumdog Millionaire" you may already have a better perception of its main idea than me. Do to some time constraints unfortunately I never got the chance to see it. However, the first 15-20 minutes or so that were viewed in class made me think critically on how Indians might have felt in response to the film. The depictions seemed a little too raw and I could very well understand why India would be upset about the film in relation to the harsh representations it holds. Contrary to the trailer (click the Youtube link below to watch) which ultimately glorifies and romanticizes the movie and that is not at all what I took from the short preview. The men in particular are represented as violent, aggressive, powerful, and ruthless while the women are portrayed as weak, quiet, powerless and barely surviving. There are clear lines drawn between equality. There is even a sense of fear for the children (as daring as they may seem) living in these conditions there is an overwhelming feeling that they are never truly safe. The issues this this film projects on India is more fear and disrespect than "controversial." I think India felt threatened and hurt by the director’s representations. It certainly holds a sort of power over India as I'm sure tourists have been a little discouraged to now visit the country. It is not a typical "Bollywood" film and even though Bollywood is known to be quite stereotypical I am more willing to consider its representations over the ones portrayed in Slumdog Millionaire. It just goes to show that one has to be very careful when depicting another’s culture and even though their traditions may differ from ours we should still respect their own way of life. *Keep in mind that I have not seen the entire film therefore, once I do it may change my perception towards the film as a whole.
For those of you who have already seen "Slumdog Millionaire" you may already have a better perception of its main idea than me. Do to some time constraints unfortunately I never got the chance to see it. However, the first 15-20 minutes or so that were viewed in class made me think critically on how Indians might have felt in response to the film. The depictions seemed a little too raw and I could very well understand why India would be upset about the film in relation to the harsh representations it holds. Contrary to the trailer (click the Youtube link below to watch) which ultimately glorifies and romanticizes the movie and that is not at all what I took from the short preview. The men in particular are represented as violent, aggressive, powerful, and ruthless while the women are portrayed as weak, quiet, powerless and barely surviving. There are clear lines drawn between equality. There is even a sense of fear for the children (as daring as they may seem) living in these conditions there is an overwhelming feeling that they are never truly safe. The issues this this film projects on India is more fear and disrespect than "controversial." I think India felt threatened and hurt by the director’s representations. It certainly holds a sort of power over India as I'm sure tourists have been a little discouraged to now visit the country. It is not a typical "Bollywood" film and even though Bollywood is known to be quite stereotypical I am more willing to consider its representations over the ones portrayed in Slumdog Millionaire. It just goes to show that one has to be very careful when depicting another’s culture and even though their traditions may differ from ours we should still respect their own way of life. *Keep in mind that I have not seen the entire film therefore, once I do it may change my perception towards the film as a whole.
-S
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