The charge that ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ exploits Mumbai’s poverty is so absurd that by the same token Charles Dickens’ entire body of work would have to be invalidated as a defamation of 19th-century England. Like all accomplished stories, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is probably resonating with audiences because it gives a glimpse of complex truths and tells us something about ourselves that we had trouble defining. In that sense, the Motion Picture Academy did not honor a ‘foreign’ film, but one strangely familiar.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I loved this film. For some reason I find that the diaspora loves it more than Indians living in India.
Here’s my take on it: http://alkakothari.com/2009/02/24/what-kind-of-millionaire-are-you/