Spoiler alert: this post discusses important plot points.
This past weekend I finally went to see Slumdog Millionaire. I have to admit that I loved the film and Jamal’s rags-to -riches tale. The film has a fairytale bent that makes it likable (who doesn’t like for the beat up hero to overcome and be happy in the end?) and at the same time problematic. However, the issue isn’t with the main protagonist Jamal. In fact, he shows a strength, kindness and humanity that is almost superhuman. Plus, it was nice to see a Muslim male that wasn’t a terrorist or a thug. Even with Jamal’s brother, Salim, being a gangster and working for another one, Javed, there isn’t a sense that Danny Boyle (the director) set out to demonize Muslim men. After all, a young Jamal and Salim become part of a beggar gang headed by a non-Muslim man.
While Muslim men were presented as nuanced and complex, especially Salim–who I thought in some ways was even more complex than his brother–Muslim women are not. Women don’t play a very prominent role in the film. We’re introduced to Jamal and Salim’s mother very briefly. The one woman who is prominent in both of the brother’s life is Latika (portrayed by Freida Pinto), who the boys initially meet on the streets of Mumbai as kids on the street. She causes a rift between the brothers from the moment they see her. Jamal wants to help her and eventually falls in love with her while Salim sees her as a burden and the girl who his brother always seems to put first, before either of them.
Latika. Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures
Watching the film, I felt that Latika had no presence of her own. Her character seemed to come from her interaction with Jamal and Salim. To Salim, she presents an undue burden who comes between him and his brother. Yet there is also the sense that he is sexually attracted to her and despises the relationship between her and Jamal because of his own attraction to her. She seems to be one of the things that the brothers compete over throughout the movie. In fact, Salim’s rape of Latika is a way reestablishing his authority as the oldest brother.
Latika is the princess to Jamal’s prince. He becomes infatuated with her from the moment they meet. He feels a constant need to protect her. In their initial meeting, Latika is standing in the rain after the Mumbai riots of 1993 with no shelter. Jamal convinces his brother to let her share their shelter with them. The scene is poignant and it also sets up the relationship among the three throughout the film. The protection theme runs throughout the film with Jamal constantly trying to protect Latika. He obviously loves and cares for her. However, one aspect of their relationship that I always wondered about was why he loved her. I don’t say that in a mean way: I wondered about that because the audience is never given a glimpse into her character. We only see Latika as a victim of various men or as the love interest of Jamal.
This was the main issue I had with Latika’s character: she’s either a victim or a princess. It’s bizaare because she is a main protagonist, but her character felt much more underdeveloped than Jamal’s or Salim’s. Perhaps this was done to fit in more neatly with the film’s theme. Still, I do wish that Latika’s character had been more nuanced. While I do wish we could’ve gotten more of a glimpse into who Latika really is, I have to admit that I was rooting for Jamal and Latika to be together at the end. I was also happy to see a positive Muslim relationship instead of a Muslim woman having to be saved from a Muslim man by a non-Muslim man. That made my day.
Tags: Cinema, film, movies, Slumdog Millionaire
[...] by Muslimah Media Watch that the female character Latika, in the film is two dimensional : “Latika is the princess to Jamal’s prince. He becomes infatuated with her from the moment they meet…, Latika is standing in the rain after the Mumbai riots of 1993 with no shelter. Jamal convinces his [...]
hear, hear!!! the movie totally made my day. Danny Boyle is a BRILLIANT filmmaker– there’s also a sense of spirituality with “Millions” (highly recommended, if anyone hasn’t seen), a sense of brotherhood in “28 Days Later” (a good zombie post-apocalyptic movie), and a sense of despair and seeking the meaning of life with “Trainspotting.”
It’s really a shame that Bollywood can’t even make a movie like Slumdog. Tsk, tsk. and I have a crush on Dev Patel now… mmmmm
Nice review but I’m not sure Latika was Muslim in the movie, her religion is not disclosed but I’m going to assume she isn’t Muslim because Latika is actually a pretty common name for a Hindu female. People tend to use names as markers of religious identity in the subcontinent.
I looked for a last name for the Latika character, but haven’t found anything online. I haven’t seen the film yet myself, but from her name she sounds Hindu. Please do correct me if it is a name you have heard being used in the Indian Muslim community. That said, the point about women being objectified as princesses is a very valid one, and is unfortunately a universal trope.
Interesting thoughts but how do you know that Latika was Muslim and the head of the beggar gang was not? The film did not disclose either character’s religion. Or is this just your speculation?
Great post but I agree that characterizing Latika as being Muslim may be problematic because of 1) her name being a predominantly Hindu name and 2) her religion never being disclosed. I don’t think any hints were even dropped as to what religion she is (unlike the big giveaway with Jamal and Salim in which their mother was killed in anti Muslim violence. Otherwise you’re right on the money about how underdeveloped she was. And also another problematic aspect of her character was the subtle change in skin color from dark to light as she aged. That just helped to reinforce rather than challenge the skin color issue that is rife among South Asians, both Hindus and Muslims.
What a stupid review.
First of all, stop seeing this movie only in the light of ‘How do muslims come out looking in this movie’? Jamal and Salim could be anyone.
Secondly, Latika is a common hindu name (remember when Jamal types in ‘Latika’ on google, 25,000 Latika’s spring up in Mumbai alone). In the riots BOTH sides got killed. Hindus killed muslims, and muslims killed hindus. There was a point being made here and it’s obvious. Jamal and Latika experienced hindu-muslim hate but did not let it come between them.
As for Latika not being a fleshed out person – come on, she is barely alive. Her whole life is one big misery, and even with Jamal she cannot let herself go for fear of being left alone again. Why Jamal loves her is not a mystery. She is his alter ego and he will protect her with his life. Besides, she is beautiful and gentle.
There are many ways to show this romance. Boyle chose this way, and ultimately it worked out great.
[Moderator note: You're welcome to think what you like about the review, but this website is about how Muslim women are portrayed in media. So telling us to "stop seeing this movie only in the light of ‘How do muslims come out looking in this movie?" isn't going to fly here. You might also want to take a look at our comment moderation guidelines.]
@ Sujata:
I guess you totally missed the point of this blog – MUSLIMAH Media Watch. The whole blog is about how Muslim women are portrayed in the media. If an entry doesn’t it doesnt belong here.
Not sure what your point was in bringing up “both sides got killed” comment.
Thanks for the comments!
Ok, since there are a few comments about why I thought Latika was probably Muslim was 1) I did some searching online before writing the review and there are some Muslim women named Latika 2) in the film, I thought I remembered Latika running away from the violence in the same neighborhood as Salim and Jamal. Of course, she could be Hindu but since in that scene it seemed to be mostly Muslim running away and being hurt and killed, I assumed she was Muslim. However, I acknowledge that I could be wrong and that her
religion is never actually stated.
rchoudh, I also noticed that she did get lighter at she got older (I thought it was me).
Sujata: I never said that Hindus weren’t killed during that period of rioting. However, in the film we only see when Muslims are killed. Hence, that is why I focused on it. As Fatemeh and Sobia pointed out, this is a site that focuses on how Muslim women are portrayed so I would focus on that. Lastly, your comments about Latika reinforce exactly what I was saying in the review.
re: why jamal loved latika – i think it’s b/c of the childhood connection they shared from having gone through great difficulty together. jamal often had a hard time relating to selim because of his harsh personality, but could relate much more to latika. i think he grew to see her as an extension of himself.
i personally thought salim’s rape of latika was a lot more complicated. while it was rape, i thought it was interesting how easily latika gave herself up to it, even telling jamal to leave. the way she acted after coming out of the shower was also complex – she seemed to have wanted selim to still be there while she was coming out, and she seemed to take pleasure in sexually tempting jamal.
while i agree that otherwise she was fairly 1-dimensional, at these parts of the movie, she was a lot more gray. i personally think the reasons she acted this way was because she had been made to see herself as purely a sexual object up until then. So while you may be right about her being 1-d, I also felt that her character was important for serving as a mirror reflecting how society viewed a woman in her position and how that made her see herself. but like you said, that does make her out to be a victim rather than an agent.
Wow. I really wanted to see this movie, but didn’t realize there was sexual violence in it. Thanks for the warning.
Some of you talk about Danny Boyle portraying the Muslims in a delightful manner etc.
The movie is based on a book by Vikas Swarup an Indian diplomat – a non muslim. Not that he is a prominant religious non-muslim. He s simply an Indian. Nothing more nothing less.
I dont think any of you on this site are Indian; so you dont understand the role of muslims in our country. Really the issue of being a muslim in India is only for muslims OUTSIDE of India who dont know what really goes on in the country.
Further, there are a variety of muslims all over India. Some suffer injustices (like other Hindu caste s), others have a fantastic life in the big cities. It isnt about religion at all. Its our culture, its our country, these are the idiocyncrecies of our way of life that constantly evolves. Its not out right injustice against someone simply because he/she is Muslim.
But if you want to make it about religion; then feel free to continue on that note. If you arent Indian, and havent lived in India – I guess you ll never understand no matter how much you read about things in books or news papers.
India is secular. It has its problems. But I am proud of what it is. And its troubles. I am proud of them too.
Here s the link about the book:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_and_A
Faith and Moderator, sorry if I hurt anyone’s feelings. I came across this blog for the first time and did not stop to read moderation rules. My apologies. Your review was very good by the way, I guess I just had an issue with it being seen in a biased way. But of course if this about muslim women then you are very correct in reviewing the film the way you did.
Sobia, my point in bringing up ‘both sides got killed’ was to explain how hindus too got orphaned, and thus Latika was a product of the 1992 riots (muslim backlash for Babri), and Jamal and Salim from the 1993 riots. Although the movie does not make this apparent, it kinda fits. Latika could have been orphaned earlier. This is purely an explanation for how the 2 got together, and has nothing to do with who killed who.
Faith – I am surprised that muslims would choose this name as it means ‘hindu goddess’. I could be wrong though. However, I presumed that to name the heroine with such a typical hindu name could only mean that there was a subtle hint of hindu-muslim love affair in the midst of hindu-muslim madness. Guaranteed to make the audience all emotional.
In any case, it was a lovely film and like you, I loved Jamal’s characterisation of a kind, strong, forgiving and ultimately triumphant muslim boy.
Shyam,
People of Indian descent do read this blog. That is assuming your definition of an Indian isn’t so narrow so as to include DBD people only. Last time I checked, it was open to anyone and everyone. Also, don’t go around lecturing “outsiders” about India, they have every right to learn about it and perceive it anyway they wish. I doubt you would like to be told by a person living in Europe/North America to ‘learn the facts’ before you share your opinion on Hollywood movies.
@ Shyam D:
Thank you for commenting, and although one’s experiences within a country may give one more knowledge about the issue, I’m personally not a fan of blind nationalism. Its wonderful that you are proud of your country but to be proud of the problems will prevent you from actually fixing the problems.
I am not Indian, I am of Pakistani origin (and admittedly us Pakistanis often hear exaggerated stories of Muslims in India), but I have family friends who are Indian Muslims and they have told me of certain discriminations and situations. One Indian Muslim friend once told me that here in Canada she is seen as Indian but in India she is seen as Muslim, not Indian. So for her to not feel Indian in her home country of India says a lot to me. And she is from Lucknow where there is a huge number of Muslims. Additionally, she told me that in the education system where she is from there is an active attempt to get rid of Urdu because Urdu is considered the language of Muslims.
Additionally, we have recently heard of stories of Muslim film stars not being able to buy homes in Mumbai because they are Muslim. And of apartment buildings declaring themselves vegetarian only to prevent Muslims from moving in.
Also, in Gujrat where over a thousand Muslims were massacred, the chief minister of Gujrat who is known to be complicit and to hate Muslims was re-elected. The people of Gujrat didn’t care that he was involved in the massacre of Muslims.
It is hard to not seriously doubt the equality of Muslims in India when we hear such things. This was not to take things off topic but to explain why some of us criticize the treatment of Muslims in India.
However, you are right that unless we live there we can never know exactly what its like to be a Muslim in India. And I have heard of many feel-good stories as well. :)
@ sujata:
Thank you for the clarification.
People should stop trying to interpret names, as names are often quite deceptive. I agree with Shyam. I lived in India for only 3 months, but I met a lot of Muslims with Hindu names and vice-versa. Cultures borrow from one another, reinterpret and reshape, as in the case of India.
Case in point, my name is Rochelle. That’s a French name. But if you can guess my ethno-religious background, I’ll personally buy you a cupcake.
It would totally be cheating, because I’ve seen you state your background on other posts…but can I still get a cupcake? ;) I just love cupcakes!
@ Nia (and others who haven’t seen the film yet): This is a bit off topic, but I did want to mention that there is a *lot* of violence (including sexual violence) in the film. As much as Jamal’s story has a mostly happy ending, there’s a ton of very graphic violence throughout the movie, which makes part of it very hard to watch. Anyway, that doesn’t have anything to do with this review, but I went to the movie expecting something a lot more lighthearted than it turned out to be, and would have liked a warning ahead of time!
Great review, Faith.
@ Krista – i’m surprised you’re saying that there was a *lot* of violence in the film. there wasn’t any sexual violence depicted, and that’s not something i take lightly so i would have remembered. it was simply implied, but not shown explicitly. aside from one scene, i didn’t find this film any more violent or graphic than other hollywood or bollywood movies. i watched it with my mom and didn’t feel uncomfortable.
i guess it’s all about perspective and expectation. the title alone told me to expect something depressing, and having seen other movies about indian slums and street children, i was expecting a lot worse. this movie was pretty vanilla compared to others, and i thought they did that to make it more palatable for the typical american viewer.
i know this comment is also off topic, but i just wanted to give a different perspective.
@ Sarah: Fair enough. I guess it’s a question of perspective, and I will definitely acknowledge having a very low ability to watch any kind of violence, so I’m sure my framework is a little skewed. (And you’re right that the sexual violence part wasn’t shown visually, it was just implied, although I think even that can be triggering.) I didn’t think that the violence was excessive or unrealistic, given the context – as you point out, it could have been much worse – but I guess it wasn’t what I expected.
Sorry Faith for taking this off topic – just wanted to flag it for people going into the movie as naive as I was.
Great review Faith! And thanks for the spoiler alert, I wasn’t going to read it until I watched the movie, but I kept thinking about your review all day long, so I came back (lol). Now I’m absolutely without doubt going to see it!
I agree with Rochelle on the Latika name thing, “Cultures borrow from one another, reinterpret and reshape” or ascribe different meaning. My Muslim friend Diana always gets similar remarks with her name. Latika could very much be a Muslim.
I heard great things about this movie from many friends and family members, as well as from a random white guy who happened to sit next to me in lecture and proclaimed that I had to see the movie. Anyways, I saw it, and I agree that it is a very well-made film. I find your commentary very interesting because I was not expecting an analysis on Latika. While it’s never made clear whether Latika is Muslim, I think her lack of depth is perhaps intentional. I think her character’s main purpose IS to emphasis the stark contrast between Jamal and Salim. Nevertheless, I’m glad to see a positive portrayal of Muslims, especially in such a critically acclaimed movie.
On a side note to rchoudh: Since this wasn’t a Bollywood production, I don’t think the fact that Latika was a few shades lighter as an adult can be attributed to anything besides the fact that they couldn’t find an actress who looked similar to the child. Also, a lot of individuals (like myself) undergo natural fluctuations in skin tone as they grow older.
@Shyam: I was born in India and lived in India most of my life and have seen firsthand the anti-muslim discrimination and violence that happens there. So yeah, this movie did a good job of referencing the violence muslims face in India, as Faith’s excellent review points out.
@Zara: I am one of those folks whose skin tone lightened after growing up. No, its not due to ‘fair and lovely’, though I suspect using more sunscreen helped. To me it seemed to be a realistic depiction of Latika’s change from being a street child to a gangster’s girlfriend.
However, one aspect of their relationship that I always wondered about was why he loved her.
I thought Jamal’s obsession with Latika and Salim’s irritation with it was foreshadowed in the initial scenes where Jamal, as a kid, waded through a shit pile to get Amitabh Bachan’s autograph, which Salim sells for a few paisa.
Hello Guys,
Some Indians view Muslims as “Muslims” and not Indians. Some Muslims turn up and support Pakistan when Pakistan play in India or against India. Some Muslims turn up and say “I AM MUSLIM first and then INDIAN second”.
This is just the way it is for what ever historical reason people have. Cant go back and fix it all.
CRUCIAL POINT: Some muslims are discreminated upon for being muslims. But the people who discriminate would also probably discriminate against Hindu s of certain (eg Lower) caste. So they just discriminate against anyone who is different and not upto their standards. So thats not actually Muslim hatred. Thats just the nature of people. Eg. @ SOBIA; you mentioned muslims not being able to buy houses because housing colonies want to keep their colony vegetarian. Answer: I am hindu and I am non vegetarian – thats because of my culture and not because of my religion. So its not the colony is against muslims moving in, it just doesnt want any one different.
The reason I said that I am proud of India and its problems is; I dont want it to remain the way it is. It is changing everyday, it is evolving. People learn from their mistakes, people make MORE mistakes. But its moving forward.
As an Indian what do I want? I want Indian Muslims to be considered Indian; not MUSLIMS. So if that is the final solution then, my point is we need to work towards that. Rather than make MUSLIM the identity. And its a slow pro active process. I come from the south; there are no problems with muslims where I come from. My grand father s best friends are Muslims. So like i said; the issues is regional and very specific. People discriminate against caste as well as religion. Its not a pure ANTI MUSLIM thing. MUST recognise that. Do you recognise that?
So injustices occur (Gujarat), but its not as simple as saying a massacre occurred. Something terrible happened there – no doubt. BUT Muslims do vote for the CM you are referring to. Did you know he won by a massive majority 2 years ago and got re elected? Its complicated. If you want to understand the Gujarat issue – then you really need immerse yourself with events and what happened thereafter. Not read 5 lines of facts.
@ Faith
I just realized you might be right about the ambiguous nature of names. For example, some cryptic sources claim that actor Dev Patel (who played older Jamal in this movie) was said to be Muslim. Now I don’t know if these sources are correct or not but his name makes it possible to believe he is because Patel as a surname is used by both Hindus and Muslims in India and his first name Dev could be short for anything. There’s a likelier chance of the actor being Hindu but also a chance of him being Muslim too.
About the skin color issue: Although it’s true that skin color can change as one ages, I felt that to put that in the movie, which is supposed to represent India to predominantly Western audiences, will only perpetuate the belief among others that all Indians (and other South Asians by extension) are obsessed with light skin. I’ve already seen discussions about this among Westerners in some pop culture forums I occaissionally attend. Since it’s not shown how Latika’s skin color changes, people automatically assume she used lightening creams, hence the idea that Indians love light skin.
re: the skin color issue: the fact of the matter is that they used real street children for this movie, and given how much these children are subjected to the sun (not to ignore the connection between dark skin prejudice and poverty), it’s tough to find a light-skinned street girl to match the older latika’s complexion.
the other fact is that the older latika is an indian actress, and anyone remotely familiar with that industry knows its obsession with light skin. so getting a dark-skinned young latika and a light-skinned older latika may simply reflect their true options (which in turn reflects india’s true complexion discrim).
also, as much as people want to say how much this film represents true india, it had a completely fanciful story and a very typical bollywood ending, so it’s no surprise they simply wanted to make a hot (=light-skinned) chick the lead, also to draw in more viewers. they’re not necessarily looking to be as true to life as possible or break down every single stereotype. all major film productions make “little” compromises like this to get more attention.
@rchoud: while this movie may be perpetuating the stereotype of south asia’s obsession with light skin, the reality is that sadly it is a very real problem there (carried over here too), and the fact that dark-skinned actresses don’t get far there is proof. it’s unfortunate that people will draw their whole opinion about the issue from one film though. if they were smart, they’d look into it a bit more deeply. but who knows, maybe they did, and maybe they’re informed conclusion is that south asia generally Is obsessed with light skin.
@ sarah
I see what you mean. I guess this is just another example of art imitating life and until this skin color issue is addressed in real life we shouldn’t expect art to ignore it.
Latika is a traditional Hindu name.
Whether that is known by the audience is besides the point — this is not a movie making some religious or political point.
both muslims and hindus untouchables are discriminated against.
So it is besides the point, this is a movie that is on the whole quite fairly balanced — i don’t think anyone would disagree that muslims or hindu are portrayed in any way designed to create malice.
I think the point about jamal and latika is that religion didn’t come between them — it transcended them — they were not defined by “labels” — they were bonded by a deeper human spirit — that is the story of India.
Aptly summed up, Suresh. To any Indian, that is what Latika and Jamal stand for – a bond of human spirit that goes beyond religious identity. And the melting pot that India is.
“Any Indian”? I’m not an Indian but can you speak for all Indians who saw the film?
It would be like an African American saying that to any black person the Tyler Perry’s films represent what black society is like. I’m sure that not all black people, myself, included, think that. I think the same holds true for Slumdog.
BTW, I did like the film. In fact I loved it. Still, I don’t think that negates how Latika fit into rather stereotypical gender norms in the film.
Faith, how does one prove that all, or at least 95% Indians would agree with Suresh’s assesment, even if they couldn’t articulate it in the same manner? I don’t know if it’s stereoty[ical Bollywood that puts these thoughts in us – for Bollywood has fed us this theme many times – or if it’s just a unique Indian way of thinking.
isn’t latika a hindu in the film?
Latika is a Hindu, Muslim and African-American name. My daughter’s friend’s name is Lateeka. Let us embrace the complexities of race and religion just as we do not assume that Sasha and Maleea are of any one particularitie in this world. Let us embrace the complexities of our post-racial age.
Slumdog Millionaire” has it all, and I am sorely tempted to give it a 10/10
What a great review! This post is dead-on. I loved the movie, but Latika was the typical flat female love interest character I’m used to seeing in Hollywood films–we, and Jamal, are supposed to love her because she’s gorgeous and sexy and downtrodden. I found her tendency to stop running when any sane person would burn shoe leather a bit annoying. (She does this at least 4 times in the film.) But I was still rooting for her and Jamal to be together.
I thought she was Muslim because we see one of her parents (her father, I think) set on fire during the riot, and it seemed clear that those scenes were of Hindus attacking Muslims. I also assumed that slums in India, like those in the US, would be heavily segregated along lines of social division, like religion. Maybe that’s not the case.
But I also thought that what little personality she had was presented as a bit money-hungry. I liked the scene where in the immediate aftermath of the death of her villainous captor she swoops down and grabs his cash–it’s one of very few scenes in which she does something active, and it made sense to me that her life would have made her hard and inured to violence. Later, she refuses to run away with Jamal because he doesn’t have any money–and I for one wouldn’t blame her! These are both practical moves made by a woman whose life has taught her the power of money. But it did make me wonder if this was a touch of the gold-digger stereotype other posts here have touched on.
And I do want to point out that she interrupts the violent standoff between the boys and agrees to let Salim rape to save Jamal’s life. Arguably it’s the one heroic thing she does in the film, although it’s also deeply problematic.
So yes, she’s beautiful. But I wouldn’t call her gentle.
Thanks for the review. It was enlightening.
As the girl was named Latika, I assumed that she was Hindu. However, you correctly pointed out that they met during the aftermath of the riots. It is quite possible that she is a Muslim girl, particularly because she first appeared in a Muslim area and was being chased by Hindu mobs.
Several Hindutva organizations are opposing the showing of this movie in India due to the portrayal of the massacres of Muslims, unpleasant side of India which majority of the people live (they want to show India as progressive, this is a set-back), and brutality of police and security officials. Must Bollywood movies which show inter-religious marriages have a dominant Hindu man with a delicate Muslim woman. These Hindu organizations oppose the fact that this movie shows a genuine good-natured and strong Muslim man with what they perceive as a Hindu woman. This movie was designed to bring to attention the suffering of the poor people of India, with a focus on Muslim characters, and it has achieved phenomonal success in this goal.
sorry to say that this film is not a positive side for muslims,its a slapt.we have talk a lot about film,lets take a look to behind the screen.
once upon a time muslim rulars ruled india with islamic law. people of every religion lived safely coz there was no riot, hindus hold possesions in many states of india there was no need of slums.its not my words-its history.
now india claims its a “secular,democratic and land of tolarence”.what is the result of that?why a large number of muslims lived in such condition in slums?what kind of honor the govt give them? decling muslims life standard to the level of dog,then exposed it in front of the whole world.producers make money but slums life standered does not changed.
what type of brutality and how many dead muslim can prove the word massacar?
muslims have to revive with their real identity and change their fate.changing lifestyle with lotarry is a stupid idea.this couldnot be muslims way of thinking coz muslims r not selfish.