Taking Sides

I was watching this nice movie the other day - Mumbai Meri Jaan and the next day while I was standing at the train station waiting for my train and an old woman in ragged clothes walked by to get a glass of water to wash her face early morning, the thought that immediately went into my head was - 

" How come everyone was quick to criticize Slumdog Millionaire for showing the 'wrong side' of India and Bollywood producers make movies on the supposedly 'wrong side' all the time and the only reviews they get are 'great movie dude!" Remember Page 3, Company et al?

Some might argue, those movies are not paraded on International Stage the way Slumdog Millionaire was. It's all about perceptions. Think about TRPs. The breaking news today was more focussed on Sheetal Mafatlal getting arrested and someone from within the family tipping off the customs because of a Family feud. There was another breaking news - something about Patil and murder charges. I never got to see the news on that because all the while the 'news' was focussed on Mafatlal story. Why do you think? Oh, nothing like a top notch family feud! Get's TRPs. All about perceptions. People might complain about how the wrong news is focussed upon, but the fact is they would watch the Mafatlal story with more interest than a government servant (read: minister) and murder charges. All about perceptions. 

So the world might think 'wrongly' about India having looked at the 'wrong side'. 

So my question - right side, wrong side, it's both sides. Why bother hiding what's real and in your face, really?

I remember a British National writing a letter to the PMO asking if the beggar market reality in India, shown in Slumdog, is for real and the PMO promising to investigate the same. Now, we all know it is for real, just that it's an open secret. 

Some secrets can be a bigger blot on India's progress than what a movie made by someone not from Bollywood, methinks. 

Mealsothinksinkeywords - Karan Johar, International, fancy, not so real, reeks millions. Eh? Seriously?