Media Essays

Text: Slumdog Millionaire 
Question: Representations of India 
Essay: There are various representations of India in Slumdog Millionaire which provide the audience with an insight into the unfamiliar side of India. For example , the film starts of with a chase scene through the slums following Jamal and Salim. The scene is made up of various shots, such as wide shots. These wide shots provide an aerial view of the Mumbai Slums and highlight just how crowded and neglected the slums actually are. The slums all together look dull which is something that an audience looking at India would expect when thinking about iconography, such as the Taj Mahal. The scene is also made up of tracking shots that follow Jamal and Salim when they are running away from the police officers. The tracking shots were filmed with hand held digital cameras so it allowed for the crew to fully capture what the interior of the slums is like. Even though the outside of the slums is dull and seems neglected , when following the characters through it, the audience gets glimpses of the life people lead in the slums. There are glimpses of people washing their clothes outside, even though it is in the slums, it is colourful and vibrant which reflects the lives of those living their. Later on in the film we see the conditions in which Jamal and Salim on living in. Jamal is on the toilet, but is locked in when the celebrity Amitabh arrives. The only way out for Jamal is to jump into the cesspit at the bottom of the toilet. The scene itself is quite comical as Jamal chooses the option to jump into it in order to meet his idol. This portrays how these two young characters live their lives and that they don't have the same privileges as other , for example the outside toilets. During Slumdog Millionaire , we see Jamal and Salim at the Taj Mahal.The Taj Mahal is an icon of India and its culture but is also important to the film as it serves as a way to juxtapose the expectations of India and its reality. In order to make money Jamal acts as a tour guide and takes groups of tourists around the Taj Mahal and parts of the slum. While acting as tour guide Jamal takes a couple to see locals washing their clothes in a near by river, meanwhile Salim and a group of boys take the tires of off their parked car. Upon return Jamal is beaten by the Indian driver, Jamal then says to the couple "You wanted to see a bit of the real India? Well here it is." The couple take pity on Jamal resulting in them responding "Well here's a bit of real America" as they hand Jamal $100. This scene is very important when looking at the representation of India. This scene shows that tourists are ignorant towards the slums, they overlook the struggle people have to go through. The clothes that the different characters were connote how different India and other countries really are, Jamal's clothes are very different to the tourists. He is seen wearing a dirty and creased shirt and pants whilst the tourists look refreshed and clean. This emphasizes the idea of India being a poor country. However, iconography such as the setting of the Taj Mahal is shown in various wide shots reminding the audience of how big the area is and the reinforces the importance of India's heritage. 

Completed: YES Word Count: (Highlight essay, look bottom left corner) 586 Grade: