Danny Boyle ko Indian chasma kharid do

Danny Boyle Sahib seems to be very angry with all those who accused him of choosing India’s poverty in his now Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire. Perhaps he thought he could teach them a lesson by indulging in dealing with Indian slums once again. And this time by showing something that’s not only dark but sheer perversion. Or else why would he choose Anil Bharve’s short film ‘Manjha’ to go before his own Slumdog Millionaire in the DVD. I believe DVDs of his films normally showcase a short film. Couldn’t he have picked up one from the list of other good Indian short films?

One of our promising directors, Anurag Kashyap sent him Anil’s film that shows how a constable in a Mumbai slum eventually succeeds in manipulating a three years old girl to treat his manhood like a lollypop. Anil undoubtedly is a very powerful film maker and Anurag must have had seen that. But for Danny bhaiya the film came as a boon. He thought “what an idea sir ji” to show the Indians again in poor light! Am I sounding bitchy? May be. But I am angry too. There are so many good films that are made here. Must his Slumdog DVD had to have another dog from the streets of India.

For that matter, Anurag himself loves subjects that are dark and makes films that look gritty while his characters look as real as Dilip in Gulal or Dawood in Black Friday. But his films do service to a society that he feels responsible for. Similarly, ‘Manjha’ is a good film. In fact a very good film. And its content is very real unlike Slumdog. Let Anil take his film to the world. Fine. He is an artist, a communicator and an Indian whose social awareness is above board. Anurag recommending Manjha or Anil making it is entirely different from Danny Boyle showcasing it with Slumdog Millionaire a film that has already hurt the sentiments of millions of Indians. An Oscar to an Indian musician or a Sound Engineer cannot compensate for that. If Danny bhaiya is so impressed by Anil’s work let him fund his next film ‘Tumbad’. No, for that, an Anurag Kashyap had to step in and do the job. Danny bhaiya will talk about it in his next interview to the Guardians and Times.

Like it is true that millions of us Indians live in an abject poverty it is equally true that Danny Boyles of the world single out that dark side of India and showcase before the western world. Just go to any photography site on the web and you will see that ninety per cent of India’s images portray slums and poverty. So why would Danny Boyle be any different. After all his revenues and awards too come from that side of the world. May be ha can buy a new set of glares from a store in India, then he will see India has many beautiful, positive things. Not a bad idea sir ji!