On the politics of 'Slumdog' India...

Two recent articles that I have read have both pointed to the debate around Slumdog Millionaire. In a recent interview, actor Nasuruddin Shah comments that 'it is not an Indian movie' and there is nothing much for us to rejoice. Earlier, Ustad Zakir Hussain too had made a comment saying that now the Hollywood movies have to be sold in India, so, makes sense if Indians win Oscars. Ofcourse, he hastened to add that that does not take the credit from Rahman or other Indians and their talents.  Others including director Priyadarshan and Amitabh Bachan have expressed apprehensions on the movie itself or rather the politics of it.  


Now of the two interesting reviews - 
1. Religion, Marxism and Slumdog in this mornings Indian Express by Frncis Gautier
http://epaper.newindpress.com/NE/NE/2009/03/16/ArticleHtmls/16_03_2009_011_002.shtml?Mode=1



2. The Missionary Position in Tehelka by Tarun Tejpal, whom I have come to regard as one of the best Indian writers in English today
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main41.asp?filename=hub070309the_missionary.asp



Both talk of trivialising the Indian reality through western presentation in their own way. The Oscars are not connected to this, but, they do in a way. But, for me most interesting is the politics of the presentation of Indian Slums, humans, dogs, et al.