The Editor
The Times of India  
Mumbai                               

India is Branded now

 I refer  the article of Paul Temporal  “ It’s time for India to  Brand itself” ( STOI 22 Feb). While thanking Mr.Paul for the valuable tips for projecting India as  Industrial Giant  ,immune to global rescession, now  there is no need for it as the entire world, including Indian government and media at large has accepted the ‘SLUMGDOG  MILLIONAIRE”  as brand India  after  the film bagged eight Oscar  awards in different categories .The world has now officially recognized India as a land of slums, shit, depravity, poverty , where the children and adults steal , foreign tourists are cheated , mafia , begging racket and slums thrive , the underdogs become millionaires not  thru’ grit ,education or merit but by modern gambling called reality game shows which give wrong  wining answers to the question ( Darshan do Ghanshyam Nath”---song was written by poet Gopalsingh Nepali and by Surdas , as the game show said).

When the original secular character (Ram Mohammad Thomas) is changed to a pure religious name of a Muslim, it becomes easier for the script writer to brand India  where the Muslims  get killed/burnt in communal riots by Hindu fanatics and it deserves Oscar .

Tragically, this is lapped as “Unprecedented Honor” for India by the Government and media. Thus even if we now try hard to create “brand India” thru’ our positive Industrial and Economic progress, we will fail to do so after India is offered as the brand “Slumdog” with generous Oscar honors and worldwide accolades.

Mohan Siroya

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Above being the letter to the newspaper , it was in brief and to the point. But  on the site I would like to add little more elaborately.

Film “Slumdog Millionaire” having swept the 2009 OSCARS ( ACADEMY AWARDS)by bagging eight out of thirteen nominated categories  as the best of 2008 , I fail to understand why the Government or the  media, especially the electronics, are bracketing this as if India has won the BHARAT RATNA AWARD  AS A NATION ,in International arena.

Can the film SDM be called an Indian film or a product of India ,Indian brains or Indian reality of today? It is produced by British /Americans, adapted  and directed in Indian terrain by  foreigners. The only Indian contribution in it is of Music, Lyrics and sound Mixing besides, the child or adult actors. The product, in no way shows the today’s real India, which  ,inspite of the  disastrous global meltdown , has been rated as the second biggest growing economy  in the world after China . It has had very little impact of the recession because of its strong industrial and technological base .  The film completely fails to show that but with umpteen twists and cinematic liberties ,put India as the worst underbelly nation in the world with a fantasy and melodrama created with Indian characters .

Yes, we are proud that two (Or is it three with Gulzar- but he is not personally given the award , Rahman received it for the best original music score and for best Song ,mind not “Lyric” “Jai Ho”) Oscars have been conferred on our genius music maestro A R  Rahman and one on our own Sound Engineer (FTII Pune product) Resul Pookutty. Only these geniuses are the Indian heroes, and Indian nation or the media must get proud of them . None of the fabulous child artists or the grown up Indian actors in this film has received a single award.? But why of the film ,its writer or the director  are eulogized as geniuses and an honor of India? How India is concerned with them.

One documentary made in India with a real Indian kid actor “Pinky” has been honored with an Oscar but our Indian nation or media is discreetly silent about that honor . Why ? Just because there is no media or PR hype for it?

In past, when the lone  Indian individual Bhanu Atthiyya ,had won the coveted Oscar on merit so far (for Best costume Designer for our own India produced film “Gandhi”) and when the all time great Indian film maker Satyajit Ray was awarded an HONORARY OSCAR FOR HIS LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENTS; India, media or we Indians never celebrated or went Ga Ga over those well deserved Indian victories . Why this  time only ,we as a nation , instead of merely celebrating the individual victories of Rahman and Resul, are going out of our way to dwell in the reflected glory of foreigners, who created a “Slum brand” of  India , projected India and Indians in bad light ?

IS IT WHAT  MERA BHARAT MAHAN WISHES TO RETAIN ITS BRAND IMAGE BEFORE THE WORLD AS IS ACCEPTED THRU’ THE FILM SDM ?

(Mohan Siroya )