By David Pilling
Published: February 18 2009 19:27 | Last updated: February 18 2009 19:27
The last film about India to collect an Oscar for best picture was Gandhi, the 1982 epic about how the country won independence. If Slumdog Millionaire wins on Sunday, viewers may ponder what India has done with its freedom. Danny Boyle's film is more a tale of rags than riches, a fact that has angered some – though by no means all – Indians. Here is a short quiz in the Millionaire format to help readers through the controversy. Starting with a question for:
Rs1,000: Is the term "slumdog" offensive? The film's title refers to "underdog", but in India it has evoked unflattering comparisons with wild canines. Several middle class Indians I consulted, most of whom enjoyed the film, thought people should worry more about the slums and less about the terminology.
Rs4,000: Are all Indian films escapist? Bollywood films, known for their song and dance, are famed for shunning social realism as vehemently as on-screen kisses. But there is a long, gritty tradition of Indian cinema. Bengali director Satyajit Ray's realist works also prompted criticism of peddling poverty. Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra, whose 2006 film The Colour of Saffron is the biggest-selling DVD in Indian history, deals with edgy themes. "The era of musicals is over," he asserts. In his film, the heroes assassinate a venal and mendacious cabinet minister, so perhaps the age of fantastical wish-fulfillment is not dead after all.
Rs16,000: Where was the film shot? It was filmed in Mumbai's Dharavi slum, the largest in Asia with a reputed population of 1m. Sengeeta Dogi, an 18-year-old living there, told me: "I liked some parts [of the film] but I didn't like the bits where Dharavi was shown negatively." She particularly objected to a scene where the hero jumped through an open latrine to secure a film idol's autograph, though she could not help laughing at that point when the film was replayed. She also said it was untrue that children were deliberately mutilated so they could earn more as beggars. Other residents said it used to happen, but not any more.
Rs250,000: How bad is urban poverty? A recent report by the government and the United Nations Development Programme says urban poverty is growing along with the urban population. Nationally, poverty in cities is less severe than in villages, but the gap has narrowed. It estimates that 42.6m Indians live in city slums.
Rs1m: Do too many Indians live in cities? No, too few do. Nearly 60 per cent of India's labour force works in agriculture, producing just 17 per cent of national output. Even by 2030, according to the poverty report, only 41 per cent of the population will be urban. That compares with China, where 47 per cent of people are already city-dwellers, and rich nations where 80 per cent or above is normal. India's slums give the impression that urbanisation has reached saturation point. But no nation has achieved prosperity without a shift from farming to manufacturing. India's problem is lack of urban infrastructure and job opportunities, not city life itself.
Rs2.5m: Why are there no slums in China? China is better run than India, with more powerful city mayors who build basic infrastructure to support wealth-creating migrants. Indian politicians court the rural vote. Corruption corrodes infrastructure plans, though some states, such as Gujarat, are improving. China is authoritarian; when workers are no longer required, they can be shipped back to the countryside. A registration system maintains a strict distinction between urban and rural citizens. Democratic India must not go down this route. But it can learn from China by providing clean water, sewerage and basic housing.
Rs5m: Does the quiz show air in India? About a decade ago, Rupert Murdoch launched Kaun Banega Crorepati? – Who Wants to Win $225,000? – hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood's most famous star. The jackpot of a crore, or Rs10m, had to be doubled to Rs20m in subsequent series.
Rs10m: Do Indians want to be millionaires? Observers of the first series said the audience was at once fascinated and repulsed by the show's naked avarice. This paper ran a piece discussing the "Brahmin-dominated caste system that reserves little honour for wealth creation" and the suspicion of money engendered by Mahatma Gandhi's idealisation of village life and Nehru's state capitalism. Fast growth since then has made many Indians more aspirational. The concept of social mobility is starting to challenge a previously fatalistic attitude to class and caste. Growth unleashed by market reforms has raised average per capita income from less than $400 (£282, €319) to about $1,000, still less than half China's. One critic of the film said it was "inconceivable" that a tea-boy from the slum would be allowed on to a television quiz show. Until that changes, India will only progress so far.
Rs20m: Should Slumdog win the Oscar? Ask the audience.
Rs1,000: Is the term "slumdog" offensive? The film's title refers to "underdog", but in India it has evoked unflattering comparisons with wild canines. Several middle class Indians I consulted, most of whom enjoyed the film, thought people should worry more about the slums and less about the terminology.
Rs4,000: Are all Indian films escapist? Bollywood films, known for their song and dance, are famed for shunning social realism as vehemently as on-screen kisses. But there is a long, gritty tradition of Indian cinema. Bengali director Satyajit Ray's realist works also prompted criticism of peddling poverty. Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra, whose 2006 film The Colour of Saffron is the biggest-selling DVD in Indian history, deals with edgy themes. "The era of musicals is over," he asserts. In his film, the heroes assassinate a venal and mendacious cabinet minister, so perhaps the age of fantastical wish-fulfillment is not dead after all.
Rs16,000: Where was the film shot? It was filmed in Mumbai's Dharavi slum, the largest in Asia with a reputed population of 1m. Sengeeta Dogi, an 18-year-old living there, told me: "I liked some parts [of the film] but I didn't like the bits where Dharavi was shown negatively." She particularly objected to a scene where the hero jumped through an open latrine to secure a film idol's autograph, though she could not help laughing at that point when the film was replayed. She also said it was untrue that children were deliberately mutilated so they could earn more as beggars. Other residents said it used to happen, but not any more.
Rs250,000: How bad is urban poverty? A recent report by the government and the United Nations Development Programme says urban poverty is growing along with the urban population. Nationally, poverty in cities is less severe than in villages, but the gap has narrowed. It estimates that 42.6m Indians live in city slums.
Rs1m: Do too many Indians live in cities? No, too few do. Nearly 60 per cent of India's labour force works in agriculture, producing just 17 per cent of national output. Even by 2030, according to the poverty report, only 41 per cent of the population will be urban. That compares with China, where 47 per cent of people are already city-dwellers, and rich nations where 80 per cent or above is normal. India's slums give the impression that urbanisation has reached saturation point. But no nation has achieved prosperity without a shift from farming to manufacturing. India's problem is lack of urban infrastructure and job opportunities, not city life itself.
Rs2.5m: Why are there no slums in China? China is better run than India, with more powerful city mayors who build basic infrastructure to support wealth-creating migrants. Indian politicians court the rural vote. Corruption corrodes infrastructure plans, though some states, such as Gujarat, are improving. China is authoritarian; when workers are no longer required, they can be shipped back to the countryside. A registration system maintains a strict distinction between urban and rural citizens. Democratic India must not go down this route. But it can learn from China by providing clean water, sewerage and basic housing.
Rs5m: Does the quiz show air in India? About a decade ago, Rupert Murdoch launched Kaun Banega Crorepati? – Who Wants to Win $225,000? – hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood's most famous star. The jackpot of a crore, or Rs10m, had to be doubled to Rs20m in subsequent series.
Rs10m: Do Indians want to be millionaires? Observers of the first series said the audience was at once fascinated and repulsed by the show's naked avarice. This paper ran a piece discussing the "Brahmin-dominated caste system that reserves little honour for wealth creation" and the suspicion of money engendered by Mahatma Gandhi's idealisation of village life and Nehru's state capitalism. Fast growth since then has made many Indians more aspirational. The concept of social mobility is starting to challenge a previously fatalistic attitude to class and caste. Growth unleashed by market reforms has raised average per capita income from less than $400 (£282, €319) to about $1,000, still less than half China's. One critic of the film said it was "inconceivable" that a tea-boy from the slum would be allowed on to a television quiz show. Until that changes, India will only progress so far.
Rs20m: Should Slumdog win the Oscar? Ask the audience.
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