Slumdog Millionaire: India Shining?

"The British colonialists once ruled; now look, they are laughing at us and winning awards too," is the thrust of some English language press reviews of this overhyped movie. I pity the Indian electronic media and critics who are showing child-like enthusiasm over the success of the movie. The overcrowded cinemas are nothing but a cruel reminder of the very fact of the infamous term about today's India: India shining. The cosmetic effect of the Bollywood style of a slum dweller gaining riches has blinded the Indian public and critics to the real depiction and portrayal of Mumbai's slums. They have failed to look at the shitholes in which the slum dwellers prefer to jump into for a glimpse of Amitabh Bachan (who coincidently has critically discussed the movie on his blog and shown his disgust over the same issues). There cannot be a bigger irony than the sight of a private helicopter and the shit smeared kid dying to get an autograph of Mr. Bachan. India seems to be more interested in the correct answer that would win Jamal a few thousand rupees than the Hindu's massacre of Muslims that taught him the right answer. India is more interested in the utopian Bollywood theme of the hero finding the girl of his dreams at the end of the movie than pondering upon the life story of Latika that passes through a begging camp, a brothel, a rape and the bedroom of a gangster. The most ironic part of the movie is the theme of the movie itself: a popular international show ‘who wants to be a millionaire’.
I fail to find a genuine reason of the hype created by the movie and even disappointed by the awards bestowed upon it by the Golden Globe. It is just another ‘masala’ movie with endless flaws of facts. However, there is one point to be learnt from the movie and that is the pathetic state of the society of the largest democracy of the world and of a nation that is aspiring to be recognized as a regional super power. The fact remains that India has a society which is shallow, intolerant, racist and greedy. India’s cosmetic feel-good image is confined to Bollywood and its media which in fact shall prove to be counter-productive because closing eyes to the problems and portraying these problems as glamour justifies these terrible issues as acceptable in the deteriorating society of India. The term ‘India shining’ reminds me of a proverb that I learnt in school when I was a kid. All that glitters is not gold. I am positive that the shine of India that I see on media is definitely not that of Gold.