Posted by: jisha in Slumdog Millionaire on
Mar 10, 2009
As the general election is fast approaching, the political parties in India have started to fight for the right to play the signature song “Jai Ho”for campaign rallies after the “Slumdog Millionaire” created a great wave, winning 8 Oscars. The ruling Congress party has bought the exclusive rights to play "Jai Ho," which translates as "Be Victorious," at their election rallies. The song, played on the closing dance sequence of the film, won Best Song at the Academy Awards.
See for more News by AP.
Posted by: jisha in Slumdog Millionaire on
Mar 10, 2009
As the applauds of the Oscar award ceases down, a feeling of indignity rises in the minds of many Indians. Was the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' any better than other well made Indian movies? Are Indian movies that bad to be nominated for Oscar? Why Indian movies never won an Oscar? Why 'A.R Rahman' s other great works in the Indian movies didn't get an Oscar nomination? Like this goes the murmuring and uproar among many Indians.
These questions are the ones that should be taken into serious consideration. Many of the Indian nationals feel like betrayed or insulted before the world.Some feel that showcasing poverty in the film, India is pictured as an under-belly nation, while some others say it has shown only the dirt and filth of the slums and not the real poverty. In reality the question, 'Why Indian movies are not getting the Oscar nomination? is one that should be seriously discussed among the Indian movie makers.This issue of indignity wouldn't have raised, if the British made Indian context movie had not won the Oscars. The pride of many Indians got hurt and they feel ashamed of having given a poverty pron picture of India to the westerners.
While this low budget movie has proved of getting record collections from the Europe and America, it's director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson never thought of the movie becoming a grant success. Armed with the Oscars and a load of unprecedented publicity, Slumdog is now getting the treatment of a star-driven, mainstream Hollywood film. The victory of 'Slumdog Millionaire' should send a huge message to Hollywood: Don't overlook the littleguy,' wrote Claudia Puig in USA Today. It was being commented when Warner Independent sold the distributing rights to Fox Searchlight, thinking that the movie will create a big loss for them.
Slumdog's Lessons for Hollywood by Arther J Pais
Posted by: jisha in Slumdog Millionaire, children on
Mar 5, 2009
The low-budget movie "Slumdog Millionaire" has not only drawn big crowds in the West, but also the movie has won eight Oscars, including the Academy awards for the Best Picture and the Best Director. The Best Music and Best Song awards went to India's musician A.R. Rahman, known as the Mozart of Madras. Half the world in Mumbai, the Garib Nagar crowd was particularly excited because several children from the area, including Rubina Ali, 9, and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, starred in "Slumdog Millionaire," playing the roles of "young Latika" and "young Salim" respectively.
After the well-deserved success of the well-made Slumdog movie, will the lives of poor children in Mumbai or in India improve? Can this extraordinary focus on child poverty translate in to positive actions to reduce poverty around the world? These are the most important questions on the minds of many after the euphoria in Los Angeles. The people in India have got different opinion towards the success of the movie. The ABC news has reported that people in the slum area are not at all happy and believes that nothing is going to make any change in their life. In fact the people in the slums are not happy with the use of 'Slumdog'. They conducted protests march in Mumbai against the movie.
Now Reality Tours have started targeting Mumbai Slums as a major place for Poverty Tourism in India. It is estimated that sales are up by about 25% since Slumdog Millionaire's release. Though the tourism industry was down after terrorist attacks in Mumbai, publicity surrounding the film has played a big role. The tours have come under criticism for exploiting poverty. But the organizers say that it is way to help poor in Mumbai. Now, the great success of movie is a fantastic opportunity for the director to set up a foundation for funding the poor children together with UNICEF.
India, which is often described as peaceful, stable and prosperous country by the western media, remains home to the largest number of poor and hungry people in the world. About one-third of the world's poor population lives in India. According to World Bank, more than 450 million Indians exist on less than $1.25 a day. India has about 42% of the population living below the new international poverty line of $1.25 per day. The number of Indian poor also constitute 33% of the global poor, which is pegged at 1.4 billion people, according to a Times of India news report. More than 6 million of those desperately poor Indians live in Mumbai alone, representing about half the residents of the nation's financial capital.
There is widespread hunger and malnutrition in all parts of India. India ranks 66th on the 2008 Global Hunger Index of 88 countries .The first India State Hunger Index (Ishi) report in 2008 found that Madhya Pradesh had the most severe level of hunger in India, comparable to Chad and Ethiopia. Four states — Punjab, Kerala, Haryana and Assam — fell in the 'serious' category. "Affluent" Gujarat, 13th on the Indian list is below Haiti, ranked 69. The authors said India's poor performance was primarily due to its relatively high levels of child malnutrition and under-nourishment resulting from calorie deficient diets.
As critics complains about the usage of “Slumdog” in the Oscar Awards winning movie “Slumdog Millionaire”, and for showcasing India as a poverty stricken nation, fogets the real fact about India. The millionaire's and the billionaires neglects the poor and therefore the gap between the rich and the poor widens. So is the gap between two Indians. As 'Slumdog Millionaire' has drawn a global attention, those politicians and the rich who stumps away the poor should come down from their statuquo and be ready to pay attention to the poors needs.
The Oscar Awards winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, has created a wave among the Westerners, who have watched the movie. Many of the Charitable Trusts in India have started to experience its feedback from people in Europe, asking for details of children whom they can sponsor. Yahoo News have reported a news showing a surge in Child's sponsorship.
While the child actors in the movie have impacted psychologically after returning to the same old condition of their tarpaulin houses in Mumbai. Now the things has completely changed with them. The children refuse to return to their old condition before the movie bagging eight Oscar awards(see..Yahoo News). Even though, the state government have promised to shift these children's families to new apartments, it seems to take much longer time. Since the plight of children have changed, their families in turn have also started put them in demand. Rubina Ali, who stars the child Lathika in the movie is put on a bargain by her own mother who left her early and the step-mother, who is now looking after her (Yahoo News).
Now the slum people have awaken to the light that the 'Slumdog Millionaire' have created. But there are comments that the people are becoming too greedy. When all of a sudden the poor people come across riches, their mentality changes and they will start to look upon them with great unrest. The movie is said to create some impact upon the lives of slum people in India. Especially, the children who are deprived of basic things in life. The westerners as well as Indians might contribute or will be ready to take up sponsorship for at least one child. So, the hope is awaking?
The child actors of the "Slumdog Millionaire" are to be rehoused by the Maharashtra Government. Is it a mere political aim before the general elections? It happened, as there was an outcry that the child actors are still living in the slums even after the movie bagging Oscar Awards, the authorities have promised to give them a permanent roof over the head.
BBC News.
Even though the families of these two children will be shifted to new houses once it is ready, the rest of the slum population will still remain behind the scenes. Will the government do anything for their development? This new move has formed the decision because 'Slumdog Millionaire' won Oscars or was drawn attention because it was nominated for Oscars. Time to do something effectively for these people by government has long been passed. Either these people should be given permanent place of residence or their rights should be protected.
The data shows that 60% of the population of Mumbai live in slums, which cover only 6% of the city's land. Slum growth rate in Mumbai is greater than the general urban rate. Why does this happen? Is it the population growth, poverty, unemployment or all of these? The government should look into these slums not only as tools for winning elections, but also must consider to give them better livelihood.
As India pride itself of winning Oscars for the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” directed by Danny Boyle, that showcases the slums of Mumbai and the real life of people who live there, the question which arises is, does India care for its poor?
Whether yes/no, the real fact of the poor in India can not be ignored. Poor are poorer and the rich are getting richer. The gap between rich and poor keeps on increasing. As for now depends on the statuesque of the society, the mentality of people have changed. People show little mercy towards the poor section of the country or just avoid them at the very sight. Some just hate them and consider them as dirty people. No one will feel good at the sight of dirtily ragged beggars. So is the the feeling of ruling parties and government towards this poor section of the country. Government does little for the homeless and street children. The slum dwellers are chased away just as how a street dog is chased. So the word “Slumdog”used as the title of the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” to emphasize the slum dwellers matches aptly to the point.
So many of our Indians are uncomfortable with the usage of the word 'slumdog' and the movie itself, that shows a face of India. The winning of Oscar's by Indians is something that we should be proud of, but should we be proud of what the movie is about? Will this movie create any impact on our government, ie, to do something useful for these section called underprivileged? The world now knows what India is as they watch the Oscar winning movie “Slumdog Millionaire”, and they will look upon India with a vision they have witnessed. When India boast of the vast tourism opportunities, never thinks how to make the country inviting to people from oversees. See the blog below by
Dane Nelson
Posted by: jisha in planning, homeless, children on
Jan 31, 2009
What are your basic needs as a child? Answer might be- food, safe water to drink, a house where you are secure enough to live, good clothes to wear and education to learn new things. Now, think for a moment about the children who are deprived of all these basic necessities of life. India has a population of 1 billion with about 35 million orphans, many of whom live on the streets, in railway stations and in filthy areas, taking each day as it comes. Some children have been orphaned or abandoned by their parents or relatives, others have chosen to run away from the harsher realities at home. Yet there are some others who have been born on the streets and knows no other life.
This is a world of 'Street Children' which most of us close our eyes to. These children do not know where they are going. They lead and live an incomplete life. Most of these children might have never experienced the parental care and may never know what care and concern is. Due to various circumstances they are left on the street and survives, if the world they live in shows any mercy on them. Every child has the right to grow up in a family environment- in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding. Millions of street children around the world are denied of this right.
What makes these children homeless? There are many reasons behind this, mainly poverty. The most trecherous disease HIV/ AIDS has a great part in contributing to the number of orphaned children in India. Violence at home or other internal conflicts that in turn creates a mental trauma to the child also add to this cause. Children who are born illegally are also deserted onto the street. All the above stated reasons are what makes them and stigmatize as “The Underprivileged”.
