Self study
Updated
“Slumdog Millionaire”
Newsweek interviews Danny Boyle
"Slumdog Millionaire," a rags-to-riches story set partly in the slums of Mumbai, is this year's sleeper hit. It has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including best picture. But back in India, the movie has become a cultural lightning rod, attracting protests and charges of "slum voyeurism." NEWSWEEK spoke with its director, British filmmaker Danny Boyle: NEWSWEEK: "Slumdog Millionaire" feels like a big movie in its commercial aspirations, but did you expect it to get the kind of critical acclaim it's received?
Danny Boyle: No. Hope's a very important part of making a film. But you never could expect what's happened with this film. Mumbai is such an exhilarating, extraordinary place to be, that you do think, "If I could capture some of this city, some of what a lot of people don't realize is here, it will be fascinating."
Do you think part of the resonance and appeal of the movie stems from people's fascination with India, and Mumbai in particular?
I think so. That's one of the reasons I wanted to make the film. I didn't want to make the film because of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." Although that is an element in it, for the public it's the universality of the story. People want to root for Jamal. It doesn't matter where he comes from. That's the reason for a lot of the success of the film: it's actually people's appetite for his story and his quest.
In India itself, there's been a cloud over what have otherwise been very sunny skies for the film. Some activists have claimed that the title is demeaning. What did you mean by "slumdog"?
This is one of the saddest things for me. People are absolutely entitled to say whatever they think about the film. Protest is a healthy part of life in India, provided it doesn't become violent. Basically it is a hybrid of the word "underdog" and the fact that he obviously comes from the slums. That's what we intended.Some people seem to feel that you are shining a spotlight on Indian poverty.
It's an entertainment, in the end. It's not a documentary. But we wanted to depict as much of the city as possible. My central thrust was to try to capture, within our narrative, as much of the city as possible, and you cannot ignore that part of life in Mumbai—nor would I want to. For me, the slums were so extraordinary. I think when you go, if you don't know the city, as I didn't, part of you expects abject poverty. And what you find, of course, is an extraordinary energy of life there. People on all sorts of levels are all working, doing bits of business. You sense a kind of resilience against all odds. If we could all live our lives as resourcefully as people with so little do!
2008
