Slumdog India: harming tourism?

March 15, 2:01 PMSF Budget Travel ExaminerErin Schneider

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Indian children run up to tourists in Delhi. Photo from www.AdoreToExplore.com

Will the Slumdog image hurt India's tourism?

Those who’ve seen the film Slumdog Millionare may be wondering how true to life this depiction of India really is. With riots and disagreements on the day the film was released in India, one has to question the story’s validity. Are some of these negative reactions coming from Indians who are too proud to admit that their country has its share of poverty and corruption, or is the movie fallacious in its depiction of orphans and the lower class’ lives? Could this film hurt India’s tourism industry or intrigue viewers to sport a sari and see it for themselves?

Slumdog Millionaire follows Jamal Malik (played by Dev Patel), a boy who grew up on the streets of Mumbai and gained infinite wisdom through grueling life experiences rather than through organized education. From his escape of being intentionally deformed to coax donations from the rich, to his search for his childhood friend-turned-lost-love, he gains knowledge of the world. These experiences prove practical when competing in the gameshow, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” However, when he is just one question away from winning the top prize, police arrest Jamal on suspicion of cheating.

Although Bollywood’s Hindi indie film won numerous awards, it was not India’s favorite flick as a nation. In fact, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) mouthpiece Organiser said, “Slumdog Millionare distorts Indian reality and conceals India’s prosperity.” ThaindianNews reviewed the movie, expressing doubts for increased tourism saying, “And to think every prominent member of the cast and crew went around proclaiming “Slumdog Millionaire” would do wonders for Mumbai’s tourism industry!” Still other Indian viewers declared that they were put off by the movie because it showed the worst of Mumbai, a city which is adorned with some of the most expensive real estate in the world, especially in its Colaba district.

But the movie is not about a well-to-do boy who grows up in a waterside mansion in Mumbai’s best neighborhood, otherwise the filmmaker would have likely shown the multi-million rupee homes that do indeed exist there. Furthermore, if the facts are considered, one will see that over 250 million people in India still live below the poverty line; the country is home to one-third of the world’s poor according to the World Bank’s latest estimate; and the country has been called “one of the most openly corrupt democracies in the world” by numerous writers and researchers from varying countries.

As for India’s tourism industry slowing down, the responsible and caring tourists will always want to see India. Not only for its inner beauty but also to help the country’s impoverished who, like Jamal, have been born into a system with minimal support. This film may motivate viewers to take volunteer vacations through Global Volunteer Network or Globeaware, aiding not only the tourism industry but also the inhabitants.

So for Indians who are worked up over the grimy image portrayed in this film, maybe they will be impelled to lobby, fight corruption and bribery, and raise money for the underdogs of the slums instead of denying their existence. National pride is a great character to possess, but only when used to better one’s country.