Slumdog : Alteration of Indian novel ‘Q & A’ by Christian!

Falgun Shuddha Trayodashi

Protest against anti-Hindu movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’

The story of ‘Slumdog’ is taken from the novel ‘Q and A’ written by Vikas Swarup; it is been fabricated. Dr. Niti Badve has given a detailed explanation in daily ‘Gomantak’. Hence the criticism about the film that it is insulting to Bharat and Hindus is quite appropriate. We are giving a part of the article by Dr. Niti Badve here for our readers.  

Original story of the novel

‘Q nd A is neither a love story nor about slums. This is a narration by an orphan ‘Ram Maamad Thomas’ about himself. He was left at St. Mary Church in Delhi on 25th December after his birth. He lives with the priest for 8 years and later he is sent to live in an orphanage. There he is bought by a man who brings him to Mumbai to beg.  Thereafter he runs away from there fearing his eyes might be removed. When he is 18 years old he takes part in a television show, ‘Kaun Banega  Karodpati’. Ram wins 1 crore rupees there. He lives in Dharavi Slums then. That very night policemen bring him to the police station and beat him very severely; as the manager of the show had told the police, “We cannot afford to pay so huge amount just within 8 months of the show. This illiterate boy from a slum has answered all the questions correctly. You take a statement from him saying that he had given correct answers by cheating.”

 When he is suffering in the prison an advocate by name Smita Shah comes there and relieves him and brings him home. She tells him, “I have the CD of your show and let us see it. Tell me how could you give correct answers? “Shri. Vikas Swarup, the Novelist  has applied great vision in making Ram get the answers, He gets most of the answers from his past life. Sometimes he answers as a ‘joker’ and other times by sheer luck. In childhood he had saved a girl staying next to his house. Smita Shah happens to be the same girl which is understood later. There is no love story. They both go on their own way.

Filthy presentation of slums to insult Bharatiyas in the film nothing to do with the original story and sheer exaggeration!

In the novel slums have been mentioned only when Ram is caught from there. There is reference to the daily life in slums but not in a filthy and hurting way. Danny Boyle has made an ugly film. The main subject discussed in the film ‘Slumdog’ is only about slums and crime. It is quite a filthy presentation. Dirty scenes like defecating in the open which is considered as most disgraceful in Western Culture are there in the film. Why was it felt necessary for the director to show such dirty scenes which has nothing to do with the original novel? He has even changed the sober and appropriate title of the novel to a very despising one, why?

Though an American Company is a villain as per the novel showing Bharatiya as a villain in the film

Not much prominence is given to the character of ‘T.V. Anchor’ in the novel, which is not so in the film. He is shown passing degrading remarks. He gives purposely a wrong message in the second last question. In the end to avoid the prize Jamal (Ram) is taken behind the bars. That is how it is shown as villainous character. In the novel too he has been jailed by the American Company to avoid the loss; but Danny Boyle has avoided the mention of any of the Christians, Americans, Australians completely. On the contrary Bharatiya anchor character is shown to be cruel. Why was it essential for the director to change the original story?

Attempts to disgrace Hindus in the film with no connection to the original 

The main character’s name in the novel represents Hindus-Christians-Muslims. But in the film Christians are shown as having kind, merciful, loving attitude. In the film it is a Muslim name. His cottage gets burnt in fire caused during the Hindu-Muslim riots. His mother is killed. He runs away with his sister. In the ‘T.V. show’ many questions are based on Ram and Shivaji. When the riots were going on the child Ram comes across the idol of Ram and gets scared. There are many such scenes in the film that hurt the feelings of Hindus and they are not in the novel too.

Doubts about Westerners’ views about the Easterners along with the truth regarding Awards 

In short taking the idea from the novel, showing everything like disgraceful slums, cheated Muslim locality, Hindus harassing Muslims; but not showing financial deprivation and cheating a young simple boy by the American Company. No reference of Christians is there in the film. Disgraceful obnoxious scenes are there. And such a film is praised and awarded in the world. Hence one doubts the Award as well as the North Colonialism.

To support Imperialism colonialism was promoted. Westerners are shown as intelligent, forward, superior and to emphasize that Easterners means having blind faith, backward, inferior and weak. When the colonialism ended, division between Westerners and Easterners was refused. Many foreign intellectuals are stating that due to globalization, media and financial progress of the eastern countries the difference between East and West is vanishing. There is contradiction between the thinking of the educated intellectuals and Danny Boyle’s presentation of Mumbai.

Hence no wonder that the film ‘Slumdog’ though praised for receiving numerous foreign prizes is not so thrilling for Bharatiyas.

Source: Daily Sanatan Prabhat

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