Popular Culture - Slumdog Millionaire Movie - Research Paper Example

(school) Sociology Introduction Popular culture is one of the most fascinating aspects of our societal interactions with each other. In the contemporary context, it is also pervasive and it encompasses most of our interactions and activities. In the television and film media, popular culture is often portrayed and depicted. Through such depictions, we are engaged and connected with each other. This paper shall discuss a feature film, particularly Slumdog Millionaire and assess it as a cultural product. It shall discuss its various aspects which shed light on popular culture in contemporary society. This study will establish an explanation and argument about the film. It would also consider a particular theory and how it may or may not apply to this film; moreover, it would also consider the popularity or appeal of the film, and analyze its cultural content and context. This paper is being carried out in the hope of establishing a clear and comprehensive assessment of this subject matter and all the pertinent details within the genre of popular culture. Body Plot summary In the 2008 movie Slumdog Millionaire, 18 year old orphan Jamal Malik is forced to prove that he is not cheating on India’s version of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire.’ The host did not believe how an uneducated slumdog like him could know the answers to the questions. As he is interrogated by the police authorities about how he knew each question, he narrates various moments in his life which coincided with his knowledge of the answers. He narrates about his life in the slums of Mumbai, how he and his brother Salim were orphaned and how they became thieves in order to survive. He tells also of an orphan girl Latika whom he was attached to and had much affection for. He narrates how he and Latika were separated from each other at a very young age. He then further describes his life as an orphan in the streets of India and what he and his brother had to do to survive. He then speaks about meeting up with Latika again and how the syndicate crime lord had malicious plans for Latika. He vowed to rescue Latika from that life. But he was prevented by his own brother who had other plans for Latika and who eventually joined up with the crime syndicate controlling Latika. He later managed to live a decent life while working as a call center agent. But he was desperate to see Latika again and this motivated him to join the show in the hopes of being reunited with the love of his life. The police finally believe him and allow him to continue with the show. He manages to answer the final question correctly. The story ends with Salim helping Latika escape and with Latika and Jamal meeting and reuniting at a train station. Pop culture There is no clear definition of popular culture, but what can be conceptualized in relation to this study is an understanding of the applications of pop culture. Strinati (p. xvi) defines it as a set of generally available artefacts: films records, clothes, TV programmes modes of transport, etc”. It can also be found in various societies in the current and previous historical contexts. What is therefore considered pop culture in the 1800s is different from the 1970s or 1980s pop culture. In the current context of popular culture, the dominant feature of globalization and digital technology are seen. Social networking and reality shows abound. However, inasmuch as the world seems to have advanced in terms of technology from the days of crude industrial developments, poverty and hardships are still very much a great part of our society. This poverty is especially dominant in the developing countries where people live in the slums and in extremely poor conditions; and in addition, having to face civil and military strife. The contrast between progress in some parts of the world and of extreme poverty in some others is a dominant economic theme in today’s pop culture, and in the developing countries, these extremely dire circumstances can be seen in close proximity with each other. This has been accepted in these quarters as part of their contemporary culture. And yet, it is a reality which is unimaginable to the average American who can sometimes be oblivious to the wars, the poverty, and the harsh living conditions of developing countries. Moreover, they can sometimes be highly unaware of the fact that globalization is largely pervasive in terms of the products and services they are patronizing. Popular culture is also known as the culture of our daily lives (Fedorak, p. 3). It includes performance, expression, symbolism which influences human culture. Its representations which include vampire movies, graphic novels, baseball cards, torn blue jeans, etc, all have meaning and they represent messages about how people are living their lives. In other words, popular culture holds people collectively together and they create solidarity among men (Fedorak, p. 3). Each cultural grouping from both developing and developed nations has a pop culture and sometimes these may be different from each other because their culture is affected by their racial, cultural, and economic status (Fedorak, p. 3). Based on theories, popular culture is the opiate of the masses as it drives the large and common group of people, not so much the high society culture. It is a culture which is accepted by the mindless masses without question. The populist theory also considers popular culture a “vibrant pursuit that offers intrinsic and extrinsic rewards and an opportunity to escape from the stresses of everyday life” (Fedorak, p. 3). In some parts of the world, popular culture has largely been influenced by the western culture in terms of clothes, technology, practices, songs, dances, and even TV shows. Such influences can be seen in the movie Slumdog Millionaire which shall be analyzed in the context of popular culture and its related concepts. One of the elements of popular culture which was portrayed in the movie Slumdog Millionaire is that of outsourcing. Many developed countries outsource their services and work to other countries, especially developing nations of India, Africa, and the Philippines. Most people in the developed nations seem to have accepted the fact that when they call for customer assistance for their internet, phone, and for their computer needs that they would likely talk to someone halfway around the world. The stereotypes have actually been set that when they would call for customer assistance they would be talking to someone with an Indian accent (Simpson and Shepherdson, p. 78). In fact, call-center agents and customer representatives have been stereotyped with Indian accents. This is not a far-off truth because India is one of the biggest countries receiving outsourced work from developed countries. They also have the largest number of call-center agencies in the world, and many Indian youths have actually gained employment in these centers. And we do see Jamal Malik working as a call center agent in Mumbai. It is a fact that outsourcing has provided a viable income for many Indians and these centers have contributed largely to India’s economic growth and development. For developed countries outsourcing work, they have also benefited from the cheaper labor rates they have gained from outsourcing. They have also managed to gain a labor force to deal with a large number of demanding customers. The reality of life in India presents stark extremes. In the metropolis, while success may manifest through booming businesses and economic ventures, the poverty levels within this metropolis can be seen in the slums, the high crime rates, and in the abandoned street children like Jamal and Salim who are forced to survive under dire conditions. The government even expresses how it has gained much economic progress in recent years and the international community has acknowledged such progress. However, we see in the movie that the notions of economic wealth are only partly true. The truth can be seen in the realm of popular culture in Mumbai – that poverty painfully and starkly coexists alongside the richer elements of their society. India’s people also recognize certain circumstances in their lives as popular culture – something which they, as mindless masses, accept without question. These circumstances include the fact that in India it is possible to be surrounded by wealth and still have its people starving. “There is millions and millions of dollars here, but there is no visible signs (sic) of it being used to take care of their own people” (The Curious Stall, p. 3). The movie portrays a circumstance which has sadly become part of their popular culture and this has been the case for many years in India. The movie portrays how the rich and the poor coexist with each other in Mumbai and how violence and crimes are often seen alongside areas where tourists and high class businesses abound. We see Latika living with a rich crime lord and we see visions of poverty almost within the same vicinity as elaborate mansions. And yet, the masses of people seem to have accepted such life as part of their culture. If there be some other motivation to improve such circumstances, they would atleast go the way of Jamal – try to be a call-center agent. This popular culture in terms of employment in India has become a highly accepted means of employment for Indians (Gentz). As Americans may have lost their jobs to outsourcing, it is a welcome gain among Indians. The meaning of such gain for the India laborer is however much more significant than the loss to the American employee. The need is greater for the Indian whose outsourced job may feed 15 members of his family, and in relation to the American, his loss is still manageable (The Curious Stall, p. 3). In effect, as the American may accept the popular culture of losing their job to outsourcing, the repercussions of this loss is not as dire as compared to the Indian who would rely on such job for his own as well as for the subsistence of his family. From different sides of the world, the disparity of applications of popular culture is very much contrasting and there is an element of racial and economic impact on these manifestations of pop culture. There is also a sense of awe with all things American in the current pop culture, more so in developing countries like India where the American dream is very much a goal of poverty-stricken citizens. This is portrayed in the movie Slumdog Millionaire when Jamal was handed a 100 dollar bill by an American who called the bill “a bit of real America” (Pandey). The filmmakers provided cinematic prominence to the dollar bill which then establishes the “global utility of the dollar in contrast to the seeming worthlessness of the rupee for these street urchins – after all, the climax of the film sees a torching of a tub-full of rupees by a guilt-ridden brother” (Pandey). In the current culture, the American dollar bill has an extensive and far-reaching utility as compared to any other currency in the world. This is an accepted part of popular culture, and this is apparently a crucial part of the pop culture in the slums of India as well. To a street urchin, the American dollar presents more reverence to him than a 1000 rupee note largely because of its significant value in their poor quarters (Pandey). This American dollar bill scene is one which provides a significant reminder for local viewers, in seeing the abundance of consumerism, for them to seek a similar state in the period of post-liberalization. The movie depicts how that American dollar was able to provide a better life for Jamal and for his fellow street urchins, further portraying how the American life provides an opportunity for individualism and also consumerism (Skelton, p. 56). Such qualities of individualism and consumerism are qualities which are very much associated with Americans, and in this movie, these qualities are glimpsed in the American dollar bill. The bill also portrayed a contrast in reactions – the American could carelessly and thoughtlessly give away such a bill to a street urchin; and the Indian child looks on the bill with much reverence and awe. At one point, he even savors its smell. This scene powerfully depicts how reverence to anything American is largely dominant in many parts of the world, especially in the poor regions and slums of India. Simple depictions of popular culture in India were seen with the various questions posed on Jamal. The Indian film industry was featured in the first question where Jamal was asked about the star of the 1973 hit film Zanjeer. Nationalistic references to India were also seen in the second question when Jamal was asked what was written underneath the national emblem of India (Pandey). The religious aspects of Indian culture were also featured in the third question where Jamal was asked about the god Ram and what he holding in his right hand. The place of the Taj Mahal as a tourist destination and as a significant symbol of Indian pop culture was also depicted in the movie. The fascination that tourists had with building was seen in their eagerness to visit and to have their pictures taken at the landmark (Corliss). The fact that the local residents earned their income from their interactions with tourists is also a significant part of Indian pop culture. The themes depicted by the movie – that of love and romance is part of pop culture the world over. In Indian Bollywood films, it is an even more significant part of the film themes (Bose, p. 38). Many Bollywood films are considered romantic musicals and this aspect of India’s popular culture was seen towards the end of the movie when the entire cast and a host of other people danced at a train station (Tyrrell, p. 67). The theme of romance is seen between Jamal and Latika whose love for each other grew developed from a childhood friendship to a deep and against-all-odds-love. In this movie, the woman is depicted as very charming and sensual, and is soon an object of fascination for the hero of the story as well as the male members of the audience (Chiru-Jitaru, p. 98). This is very much similar to western depictions of the female protagonist, however overt sensuality is not a part of Indian popular and accepted culture. Instead, Latika is portrayed following the rules of Indian society and its censorship traditions. As a result, no passionate love scenes are portrayed and indelicate sexual situations are portrayed suggestively, not overtly (Chiru-Jitaru, p. 96). In compliance with Indian popular culture and cinema, various strategies are instead used in order to depict the filmmaker’s actual messages of sexuality or sensuality. This can be seen in the use of tribal costumes which portray the female form or in the dream sequences which portray the forbidden reality of sexuality (Chiru-Jitaru, p. 97). The movie effectively portrays Latika as an object of male attraction and desire and the romantic formula of poor boy meets rich girl is part of the Indian popular film culture. There is often a significant hindrance to this romance unfolding in the form of a disapproving father or an ongoing family feud. In this movie, the criminal circumstance upon which Latika is controlled prevents her and Jamal from getting together. Kinship is also an important part of Indian popular culture and cinema. In this movie, the kinship is seen in the two brothers who were orphaned and were forced to survive the streets of India. These brothers later found themselves at odds with each other in the classic hero and villain roles (Chiru-Jitaru, p. 97). In the end, the kinship between these two brothers wins out over other considerations as the villain brother gives up his life so that his hero-brother would finally get a chance at living a happy life with the woman he loves. The bond between brothers has been sullied at several points by greed and by foolishness on the part of Salim who was shaped into a harder and harsher person by his trials (Chiru-Jitaru, p. 97). In the end, he reached that redeeming point in his life when he finally helped Latika escape. Nothing less than kinship would have allowed him to reach this point. He did not feel the same affection that Jamal felt for Latika. However, in the end, Salim played that role of older brother to Jamal – that older brother who looked after his younger brother and the one who wanted a better life for Jamal. In the Indian popular culture, kinship has a favorable place and this favored place is ultimately seen in the movie Slumdog Millionaire. The movie is also relentless and unforgiving in its depiction of Mumbai’s slums. Although belief has to be suspended in favor of cinematic license taken over the portrayal of the slums, the fact is that India is indeed battling severe poverty in the face of its ongoing development activities. Its depiction of poverty also includes portrayals of emotional loads such as love, humor, anger, fear, grief, disgust, and astonishment (Chiru-Jitaru, p. 97). We see the love between Jamal and Latika; we feel anger towards Salim’s betrayal of Jamal, we feel fear for Latika being left behind by the boys; we feel grief for the boys losing their mother; we feel disgust and humor for Jamal having to jump into an open pit toilet; and we feel astonishment for Jamal’s arrest and police suspicions of his cheating. These are real and persistent emotions which unfold at various points in the movie. They form part of popular culture in many movies with these themes of drama and stark reality. As was mentioned earlier, the Bollywood dances form part of the Indian film popular culture. No Bollywood movie is complete without a song and dance routine (Dudrah, p. 4). This was true for Slumdog Millionaire which portrayed an ending with the characters and other actors and dancers singing and dancing to a modified Bollywood dance. This Bollywood style was made even more popular when the song Jai Ho was released by the Pussycat Dolls as part of the promotion and marketing for the movie. The soundtrack of the movie is a blending of the east and the western culture and this makes the movie and its soundtrack even more popular and appealing to a global audience (Chiru-Jitaru, p. 97). The movie appeals to the eastern and the western audience because it uses universal and popular themes. It portrays love, violence, melodrama in one movie and it makes all of this angst very much authentic. It is also important to note that the popular culture in India in relation to women is portrayed in this film. Women are depicted here as objects of carnal desire controlled by patriarchal and largely male forces. She is made to beg in the streets and when she is old enough to serve nefarious purposes, she is forced to live a life of prostitution (Beaufoy and Swarup, p. 13). Other women living decent lives would likely be under the protection of their father or a male family member. Such is the trend in India. It is sometimes a trend unheard of in American society, but in a traditional and patriarchal Asian society, these are the realities of their life – this is the popular culture which has dominated the life of the Indian people. Conclusion The above discussion presents contemporary popular culture in the context of the film Slumdog Millionaire. This movie depicts popular culture in India which is very much tied in with globalization and the outsourcing culture; with the themes of extreme poverty and richness coexisting with each other in Mumbai, India; with the themes of love, of violence, of anger, and of humor; and with the themes of the Bollywood dance and song. Popular culture refers to culture, trends, and practices which are accepted by the masses. We see the westernization of India and Mumbai in the lives of Jamal, Salim, and Latika. We see their lives unfold in the face of poverty and hardship and how the spirit of love and kinship overcome the odds. In whatever culture, these soaring love and triumph over hardships are globally part of the popular culture. Works Cited Beaufoy, S. & Swarup, V. “Slumdog Millionaire: the Shooting Script”. 2008. New York: Nick Hern. Bose, M. “Bollywood: a History”. 2007. New Delhi: Lotus Collection, Roli Books. Chiru-Jitaru, I. “Bollywood exiled to hollywood or the other way round?: the curious case of Slumdog Millionaire”. Universitatea Ovidius Constanta. 2010. 04 October 2011 from http://www.univ-ovidius.ro/litere/ovidius/vol_2010/12_Jitaru.pdf Corliss, R. "Slumdog Millionaire: A Dark Indian Epic Full of Life." Time. 2008. Curious Stall. “30 Days: “Outsourcing,” The American Perspective (Part 1 of 2)”. 2006. 04 October 2011 from http://curiousstall.blogspot.com/2006/08/30-days-outsourcing-american.html Dudrah, R. Bollywood: Sociology Goes to the Movies. 2006. 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