Dozens in Mumbai slums protest against ‘Slumdog’
INDIA: Dozens of residents of a Mumbai slum where “Slumdog
Millionaire” was partly shot protested against the Oscar-nominated film
on Tuesday, hurling insults and hitting pictures of its cast and crew
with slippers.
The movie’s international success has been tempered by objections in
India to the name, which some slum dwellers find offensive, its
depiction of the lives of impoverished Indians and the treatment of the
cast.
Its director, Danny Boyle, has faced accusations from some parts of
the Indian media that his film was “poverty porn”. Boyle has said he was
trying to capture Mumbai’s “lust for life”.
The film, which has scooped several international awards and won 10
Oscar nominations, opened in India last month.
“They have made a mockery of us, they have hurt our sentiments,” said
N.R. Paul, a protest leader and resident in Dharavi, Asia’s largest
slum.
The protesters, who were forced by policemen to assemble a few
hundred metres from Dharavi, shouted “Down, down Danny Boyle” and “Down,
down Censor Board”.
“Slum dwellers are human beings, not dogs”, said one poster.
Protesters also slapped pictures of Boyle and the film’s actors with
slippers, saying their depiction of poverty was demeaning to millions.
“They should change at least the title. Why did our Censor Board
allow such a title in India? It is very sad,” said Kallubhai Qureshi, a
resident in Dharavi.
Nicholas Almeida, a social activist and slum dweller who has filed a
complaint in a local court against the title, said the filmmakers also
had a responsibility toward the slums in which they shot the movie.
“It is making so many millions of dollars, why can’t they spend some
money here to improve our lives?” said Almeida.
Boyle and producer Christian Colson, responding to comments in the
Daily Telegraph recently that slum kids in the film were paid poorly,
have said they have paid for their education in a school and set up a
fund to cover other expenses.
Mumbai, Wednesday, Reuters
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