Comments on: What’s Up ‘Slum’dog?

By: Yuxiang Gao

Yuxiang Gao — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:21:51 +0000

I agree with Lindsay’s points that why this movie is so successful.
Personally, the most attractive part is to see the hard working peole to fight with the difficult lift even in the worst situation.
As I said in the other Slumdog’s comment, the main character’s brother could be epitome for lots of people in developing country, Though that man is bad guy, but from him, I saw a shining quality called combatant spirit. He used this combatant spirit on the wrong way, but I appreciated his courage.
I having been living in the USA for more than one year, this moive mentioned me that on other side of earth, there is a group of people live in the worst living environment but still try to their destiny.

By: Matthew Perez

Matthew Perez — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:39:56 +0000

Although Slumdog Millionaire was a great film, I was surprised to learn that it many in India have had mixed feelings associated with the film. A quick read of this Washington Post article sheds some light on these opinions:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012204082.html

The people who live in the areas depicted in the film are very happy that it brings to light the issues they face on a daily basis. However, most people who go to the movies in India expect typical Bollywood fantasies. These films of dancing and romance provide an escape from the often difficult lives that people have. It should come as no surprise that these were the same types of films that were used during the Great Depression here in America. In sum, people who are going through desperate times do not like to be reminded of that fact.

By: Frederick Peemoeller

Frederick Peemoeller — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:13:35 +0000

Slumdog Millionaire is a microscope. Like viewing all objects, from a distance, things don’t look so bad. We convince ourselves they don’t, that is, until we sharpen the image and see things for what they really are. Slumdog zoomed in and gave us a reality that we can no longer pretend not to see or notice, its showed us human cruelty and poverty clearer than we would ever like to imagine.

When people talk abot Dharavi and its increasing growth in wealth one can only hope that people pay attention to whom the wealth actually belongs too.

By: Tim Lynds

Tim Lynds — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:11:24 +0000

I agree with Lindsay about why Slumdog was such a hit in the US. It is a perfect balance of exotic and familiar. It has an easy to follow, well liked, and familiar love story plot with exotic mini adventures throughout the movie. In a way it reminded me of Forrest Gump (another incredibly successful movie) in that the majority of the movie was broken into short stories that outlined Jamal’s life. Each mini adventure explained how Jamal knew each correct answer in the Millionaire game while also giving a general outline of Jamal’s life to date. This was interesting because it showed that every hardship that Jamal went through contributed to his eventual break from poverty by winning the game show. What a great way to tie the entire movie together and make the audience feel good. All in all a great movie like Slumdog deserves the success it received.

By: Danielle Steussy

Danielle Steussy — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:41:06 +0000

Slumdog Millionaire is one of my favorite movies of all time. I think what drew me to it so much was not its Oscar hype (I proudly have to admit that I saw it well before it hit the “big” screen) but rather its glimpse into a different kind of life and a completely different culture. The music was fabulous and the cinematography breathtaking, but even more I was entranced by the world that was so foreign to my own. I believe that most people are intrigued by what they don’t see everyday, almost like a fairytale or even more superficially, a Harry Potter or Twilight novel. Even though Slumdog Millionaire portrayed the realities of the slums in India, it still has this mystical effect of unfamiliarity on viewers. I suppose it goes to show how segregated Americans can be from other parts of the world.

All movie interpretations aside, the population density in Dharavi can offer a wide array of networking, whether it’s in business or in simple survival. Having that immense population can offer support that people need get by from day to day. In my opinion this network offers vast amounts of opportunities for the Indian economy to thrive now and into the future. I only hope that the living conditions for these slum residents can soon match the potential of the country.

By: Jason Silver

Jason Silver — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:07:28 +0000

As future business leaders, it is important to understand “how the other half lives”. While India’s impressive economic growth has helped make the nation an emerging business power, the tremendous amount of poverty in the country still leaves much work to be done domestically. The disparity between poor and rich is strikingly evident. The example of Mukesh Ambani’s one billion dollar building/house/skyscraper is in stark contrast to a small room with 12 family members cramped for space trying to live on a daily basis. So as the gap between rich and poor is slowly closing, there must be something that drives people. Inside, I can only imagine that the current slum dwellers work hard to provide for their family and to one day have their ensuing generations be able to live in conditions better than what they live in currently.

By: Kirk Story

Kirk Story — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:27:55 +0000

It is evident that the citizens of Dharavi are extremely hard working people on the fringe of our habituated understanding of corporate capitalism. The generation of a half billion dollars in goods on a square mile of illegitimately occupied land attests to this contention. Imagine living in a population density 6 times as dense as daytime Manhattan. Patience would surely be a virtue.

The photos and descriptions found at the National Geographic link ‘the largest slum in the world’ are powerful. Many of the photos evoked emotional or cognitive responses. The vibrant expression on the school teacher’s face stirred an emotion of hope for the education of the youth in this unique cultural enclave-Dharavi. The guy smashing bags of paint chips left me scratching my head a little. I thought “Tommy Boy” was a global classic. Seriously though, it’s sad that a person is smashing bags of paint chips and inhaling the particulates. I suppose the next logical question is whether he’s uninformed and thinks, “this paint smashing thing’s not a bad gig,” (it is fun to swing carnival sledge-hammers) or if he is informed and working out of necessity with few alternatives.
Thanks for the Post Dr. Singh.

Kirk Story

By: Lindsay Leaver

Lindsay Leaver — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 01:51:05 +0000

I think there are two main factors that contributed to Slumdog’s success.

First, and easiest to identify, people love an uplifting underdog story. The good guy wins, after years of hardship. It is a formula that has been used for years in the movies, and it works well. He gets the girl, and people are happy. Basic, to the point, and satisfying.

The second, and not as obvious reason for Slumdog’s success is that it was mainstream and exotic at the same time. It included incredible shots of India, the people, the landscape, the culture. It was exotic and different, giving insight into a foreign and difficult to imagine place, all the while keeping the viewer comfortable with the all-too-familiar “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” shots, and underdog storyline. It also utilized exotic music that was different to the ears of Americans, but still was melodic and easy to listen to.

Lastly, it was just a good movie pure and simple.