Upon its release, Slumdog Millionaire became the object of the kinds of criticism that White Tiger also facedaccusations of poverty porn and first-world tourism of the impoverished developing world abounded. Some of these criticisms lamented both the films and the novels focus on the unfortunate realities of poverty, underdevelopment, and inequality in contemporary India at the expense of celebrating the subcontinents recent economic successes. Arguably, however, The White Tiger decision to portray the underbelly and dark side of Indian success is to bring attention to the idea that the variety of economics and social planning at work in that part of the world today benefits few at the expense of many. The same might be said of Slumdog Millionaire, though many claim that despite the films focus on the impoverished circumstances of its protagonists, it remains much more apolitical than White Tiger. Write an essay that explores 3-5 crucial scenes in Slumdog Millionaire, situating these scenes within the critical context describes above. Is the film meant to portray India in a realistic way, which might open it to charges of poverty tourism and the reinforcement of the underdog narrative that uncritically celebrates capitalism? Or is the film a self-consciously feel-good fantasy that uses the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in order to temporarily escape the depressing, cutthroat realities of life for many in India today?
