Slumdog Millionaire

It is debatable whether or not Slumdog Millionaire accurately represents the slums of mumbai and its citizens. Indian critics in particular argued that the British English Jamal used and that the film received more praise than similair films made by Indian directors contributed to an overlying air of Britishness, but also Hollywood values relating to the film. Although the entire film is set in India, the director, Danny Boyle, the star, Dev Patel, and much of the funding are British. This raises the question regarding how accurately a British production team can represent another nation. On the other hand, Boyle and the cast made several journeys to the slums, and many children in the film lived there prior to filming. Perhaps it is because of this reason that many recipients such as actor and film maker Aamir Khan saw Slumdog Millionaire as a "film about India like Gandhi" rather than an "Indian film". Expanding from this is the interpretation of the film as "tourist porn", something Sunday Times critic India Knight describes as "grim but uplifting, with amazing cinematography and beautiful colours. Something that would make western audiences feel better about their own loves but would also present the worrying plight of Mumbai's street and slum children as surmountable through a combination of ambition and resourcefulness." If the film did indeed just make western audiences feel better about themselves, Slumdog's success at the Oscars ceremony is not surprising, considering the award is in itself a symbol and icon of Hollywood and western culture.