The Hollywood Display of India
By: Natasha Patil

 

Natasha is a sophomore ( all honors and AP classes ) at Allatoona high school in Kennesaw. She is also the editor of her school newspaper. She is the secretary of Beta Club and Spanish Club. She is also a member of Model United Nations. Natasha has won several academic awards and hope to work for CNN in the future (anchor)

The Oscar winning movie “Slumdog Millionare,” was premiered in front of thousands of crowds’ world wide, January 23. Hollywood movies are a way of imprinting facts and portraying knowledge about the external world into the minds of those oblivious to the outside land. Society mentally visualized foreign land through the publicized creations of talented directors. Directors go throughout the planet, looking for scenery to expose to the world. They go through great struggles and effort searching for the best shot to put into their upcoming film. No doubt, the film was well deserving for the award.
Yet, in Slumdog Millionare, the only appealing scenery for the audience were the slums of India. When most of the world thinks of India, “Slums” immediately appear in their mind. Due to the ignorance of many, most westerners don’t know the true India which is full of rich culture and tradition. India is known for their marvelous architect and breath-taking monuments which should be displayed for the whole world to see in awe. Each wall and crack carries years of history that represents India today. The Taj Mahal was only shown for a brief period of time and India’s slums were presented throughout the film for the entire world to see.
The poverty and unrest of our country is not something to take pride in, yet it’s what we call “reality”. Rarely, on occasion do Indian films get produced in America to interest the audience. Directors should focus more on the beauty and historical value of India rather than the downside and deficiency of any country. It seems to fascinate people more to show them “dirty laundry” of countries rather than the achievements and wonders the place can hold. This may not be true in all matters, but the images presented throughout the films become fixed in the minds of majority of the population who have never explored beyond their boundaries. Therefore they contain the insignificant information about the Slums and spread their slight knowledge of India throughout society. India is a country worth seeing in one’s lifetime and should be shown with grace and pride.