Not to sound like a grouch ... (Updated)
... but why exactly are Indians celebrating for SDM ?
Update: Look, I haven't seen the movie so I have no idea that it is in fact poverty porn, but in case of westerners depicting India, I always assume guilty until proven innocent, not very enlightened I agree, but I can not forget Temple of Doom or City of Joy , so easily. Also please don't praise this film for realism and at the same time excuse over the top portrayal (Jamal running through excreta, what is this Trainspotting !) by saying "but it is just a film"
Update 1 : Arghhh, I don't want to comment on it anymore, but gross stupidity like this compel me otherwise. It is as if there is some guideline to cram as much triteness as possible (real India, spirit of Mumbai). All right here is the thing, I am not a big fan of realistic or art cinema, watching the trials and tribulations of life is too taxing for me to enjoy as cinema especially after working for a week, Govinda is good enough for me, thank you very much. Now if someone does enjoy realistic cinema, I have no problem. What I have problem reducing reality to cliche of authenticity. Dharavi is real, so is Nariman Point, or Malabar Hills, or Dadar, or Ghatkopar, just because someone doesn't live in slums doesn't make him or her phony, inauthentic, a ghost, there is more to India or Mumbai than what the clique of compulsive compassion imagines.Still, poverty and slums are parts of reality and I don't object to the portrayal per se. Problem arises when this kind of cinema becomes launching pad for a thousand sanctimonious sermons on Indians should be doing more for poverty alleviation, often delivered by glib morons who have hardly ever done anything in life for poor. This in effect trivializes serious issue of poverty to a object to massage bloated egos of self righteous conceited class and derive visceral pleasure by shaming the public at large. While this gratifies the chattering class, this kind of preening pontification does nothing to further objective of poverty alleviation, in fact these kind of tactics just alienate people by breeding resentment.
Update 2: Prasannaji is miffed that Congress is claiming credit for Oscars . With due respect to him, I don't see what the big fuss is all about. Without Congress rule for 50 years we won't be having any slums and therefore no Slumdog, so yes Congress does deserve the credit for Oscars. After all without poverty where will pimps of poverty be.
