A division bench of the Gujarat high court rejected a PIL challenging exhibition and marketing of the Oscar-nominated movie, Slumdog Millionaire
A division bench of the Gujarat high court, comprising chief justice KS Radhakrishnan and justice Akil Kureshi, on Thursday rejected a PIL challenging exhibition and marketing of the Oscar-nominated movie, Slumdog Millionaire.
The high court, in its order, appreciated the film and its message to society. "The film spreads a message that even slum boys have the ability and capacity of grasping and understanding things taking place around them and without any formal education, can reach the top," observed the bench.
It further observed, "The film exposes the hidden talent of slum dwellers and their capacity and ability of observation. Though it depicts the dark side of Mumbai slums - their living conditions, the police excesses, life in red-light area and so on - but still overcoming all those hurdles, the slum boy comes out victorious in a game show by a sheer show of brilliance."
The judges also observed, "We shall not entertain an orthodox or conservative view when we see a film of this nature. We must give a vast area of creative art to interpret true life and society. The title of the film has to be judged on its theme and the manner in which it has been directed and exhibited for public view."
They did not entertain the objection raised by the petitioner organisation, Dastak, over the title of the film.
"We fail to see how the word Slumdog is offensive or defamatory to slum dwellers when we understand the theme and the settings in the movie, in a wider spectrum. The complaint is that people who live in slums are characterised as slumdogs. When we look at the film as a whole, the Slumdog means underdog from the slums. The film is exhibited in Hindi language as well. In Hindi, Slumdog means 'Gudari ka Lal', which means a jewel in rags as per the Oxford Hindi-English dictionary. Therefore, the slum boy who has won the game show and become a millionaire is considered to be a jewel in rags. Therefore, the title doesn't defy any public decency or morality and it is not aimed at slum dwellers in general and also not defamatory."
The court also cited the apex court order in a writ petition filed against the film Bandit Queen, which was based on the life of dacoit Phoolan Devi.
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