Slumming It

“Slumdog Millionaire” seems to have brought our misplaced sense of patriotism and needless schizophrenia to the fore. The movie apparently shows India “in poor light” and has divided the cocktail circuit and bollywood camps alike. The outrage seems to derive itself from the fact that the movie was directed by a foreigner. So a Mira Nair describing Mumbai poverty, albeit in a slightly varied form is acceptable but it is sacrilege for a foreigner to do likewise. Concurrently, there is pride in A R Rahman’s nominations i.e. we are proud of the Indian music composer but some of us are angry at a “phoren” director.

The Big B is normally measured in his response to anything and weighs political correctness in all public postures to a point of appearing devious. He too has thrown in his weight behind the objecting masses and seems to believe that depiction of Indian slums points to a conspiracy by the western world to paint a shabby picture of our country. Whether it reflects on his genuine concern as an honourable ambassador of our country or veiled envy at losing out on the grand scheme of things in a platform which matters is debatable.

Using the Big B as a reference point, I am tempted to ask if say, Sarkar Raj showed our country or Mumbai in glorious light. How does telling the world that we have a Mumbai that is lawless and obeys the writ of a parallel power-centre flattering for the image of the nation? Or is the argument that this is fictitious and hence passes muster but the existence of slums is real (and tragic) and hence out of bounds? Or is it about wanting to say that we can talk about our dirty underbelly but non-citizens can’t? To demand that foreigners are entitled to make films only about the cellphone revolution, the golden quadrilateral or our once-flourishing software/BPO industry seems preposterous. Films are a form of entertainment, a medium for people to express their creativity with the option of delivering a broader social message. The proportion of each of these elements is an individual decision and should be left at that.

I hail from the eastern province of Orissa. I have been living away from my home state for over a decade and am fairly used to meeting people who either struggle to place it on the map (especially in Mumbai) or mention the once famine-struck district of Kalahandi as their only source of familiarity with the state (despite my 6”2”, 90 kg frame!). Several of my compatriots are outraged at people’s ignorance about Orissa’s existence or its glorious maritime past, magnificent tourism opportunities and treasure of minerals. My reaction is typically one of amusement and silent determination. Amusement at people’s blinkers when it comes to world view and determination to contribute towards the state’s climb in the development pecking order in the years to come. To expect people to look up in admiration at a state that still dominates the bottom rungs of the per capita income charts is a bit far-fetched. (Despite my parochialism on the subject I need to concede Orissa is no Gujarat- yet)

I believe we are similarly placed as a nation on the global arena. We are a country on the upswing, but have a lot of ground to cover and will also do well to recognize the sharp, unparalleled disparity at both ends of the spectrum. A mere movie getting critical acclaim should neither affect our sensibilities nor distract from the mission of continuing the path of progress. “External” sources pointing to parts of our ugly underside should only make us vow to ourselves that we get rid of them.

Incidentally, on the subject of parochialism, Mira Nair grew up in Bhubaneshwar (Mumbaikars are forgiven for assuming Bhubaneshwar is a suburb north of Jogeshwari) :-)