Love of a Slumdog or Romanticizing an India we can’t stand?

I was curious about this particular movie. The fact that I got to hear about this one from the fellow IITians, the self proclaimed critics of every cinema available on the beloved DC, added to my curiosity.
Later its success in international circuits against Hollywood biggies left many of us surprised and overjoyed. Surprised because after all it is just a love story packaged in what is considered an Indian style drama. It looked so familiar that you could not tell the movie was a British production, if not for the usual reality bites which come to represent India for most of the orientalists. It was a perfect trailer to this mindset when a boy in 'deep shit' celebrates receiving autograph from a huge movie star. The tried and tested recipe of 'real India' has managed to get international attention before. But the way it is being received so affectionately is not because it is on a well trodden path but because it somewhere manages to move beyond the stereotypes and communicate with a variety of audiences about the indomitable human spirit. And many from the urban India are already up against the movie for depicting only the ugly part of India. An India which we conveniently disown and look away from.

Danny seems to have been inspired by Bollywood in his formulaic treatment of the movie but the cast, the camerawork and the music of A R Rehman and MIA lends it a freshness and adds to the brilliant narration. I would pick the part of the boys' journey on train and afterward as the most uplifting. It celebrated life in different hues without being judgmental about it. The set of child actors came out as true winners in this flick specially the first ones who were absolutely natural. MIAs famous number Paperplanes fitted perfectly well with the momentum and the content of the movie. Another stellar is the part where Jamal, after being ridiculed for not knowing what majority of textbooks teach to 5 year olds, presents his own version of knowledge. His search for his childhood love also strikes a chord in its tenderness and hopelessness.

The narration of the movie allows it to communicate with the audience at different levels. So before jumping on the easy conclusion that all this movie does is glorifying poverty, there is more to it for a keen observer. For some the major theme might be the role of destiny in one’s life, for others it could be the search for lost love and for some others it is celebration of dignity of life in its various forms. At the end of it a piece of art like cinema has its worth only if it stirs something deep within you. So take your pick, weave your own narrative around it and enjoy this musical drama from Danny Boyle.