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Studying Slum-Subaltern in Recent Indian Fiction and Celluloid: The Case of Slumdog Millionaire

Year: 2010
Type: preprint
Abstract: Setting aside the controversy surrounding ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, the fiction and the film make any right thinking citizen to be alarmed at the rate by which a planet of slums is being created, which is expected to double by 2030. Global poverty is moving to cities, leading to an urbanization of poverty. It is imperative on the part of law makers, governments and civil societies to take appropriate measures to handle the world wide growth of slums, projected to be 2 billion in 30 years. It is an ethical duty on the part of rich nations and their peoples to share their plenty with the poor to arrest global poverty and injustice. Hence, seen in the background of a planet of the slums, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has its universal appeal. While efforts are being made to eradicate poverty in the slums, the book and the film also draw attention to the fact that it is only human emotions and genuine love that can sustain life for ever. The movie also remains a powerful medium to expose the injustice meted out to slum dwellers. Though Bollywood has produced several movies in the backdrop of slum-life, these have failed to draw attention like the way ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has done to project issues of slum-subaltern to a global audience. Vikas Swarup’s book and its celluloid version have proven that if people are given opportunities, they can achieve great success. It also affirms the resourcefulness of subaltern groups, which can prove to be a catalyst in social transformation.
Institution: Nagaland University
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2728129399
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