[Slayven]

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article...&ocid=todent11

Joss Whedon's "The Avengers" has drawn criticism from Bollywood stars dismayed over the depiction of India in the blockbuster film. The star-studded Marvel epic opens with scenes in which The Hulk's alter ego Dr. Bruce Banner, played by Mark Ruffalo, hides in the slums of Kolkata curing lepers. The film has opened well in the country, but some members of India's film industry have expressed disappointment that the scenes, which were actually shot in New Mexico, focused on poverty. Actor Rituparna Sengupta tells The Hindustan Times, "Kolkata has a rich culture and heritage, and a filmmaker should respect that. There are two scenes about India, and they only show slums. It could have been done in better taste." Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia adds, "It is disturbing to see the murky underbelly of India in Hollywood films. But before pointing it out to the West, we need to make efforts to change their perception about us."

I will file this next to Thor's racism and religion complaints.

[Messypandas]

wasn't that the point tho? That Banner was choosing to help people in impoverished areas.

[Divvy]

Why would Banner hide in the open, affluent areas of India. He also wanted to help people in need as a doctor. This is a pretty nonsensical criticism.

[Vyer]

wasn't that the point tho? That Banner was choosing to help people in impoverished areas.

yes, not too mention he was trying to 'hide'. Affluent, culture centers likely full of tourists probably isn't the best idea.

[cutmeamango]

But India is full of slums.

[Napoleonthechimp]

Improve the horrible levels of poverty and general quality of life for the people and then the perception of India might improve.

[Evlar]

I didn't even know that was India. I just read it as "generic foreign slums". Did the film ever name it?

EDIT: Maybe Banner says it? Obviously didn't make much of an impression...

[Stinkles]

Actual Indian slum.

Maybe they should have just shown beautiful women jumping into a tree and singing about the romantic advances of a slightly overweight actor with a huge mustache.

[Nesotenso]

Well, the slums exist don't they ? I can understand getting frustrated at the constant depiction of India as being only slums but it made sense for Banner to be working among the less fortunate and poor there, right ?

[Ri'Orius]

Wait, that was Kolkata? I thought Banner wanted to be in a remote place without a lot of people around, not in a city with higher population density than NYC...

[ConfusingJazz]

Maybe if 1.3 million people didn't live in ridiculously bad slums, Kolkata wouldn't be the first place writers think of when they want to use a "Third World Slum"

Actual Indian slum.

Also another point. If anything, The Avengers romanticized the state of the slums.

[planar1280]

Someone should tell the bollywood stars that for one of the fastest growing economies in the world, the below poverty rate is still what it was 15 years ago, more than 65%

[LiK]

Slumdog Millionaire all over again

[Darklord]

When 41% of the country is in poverty and live in disgusting slums, yeah, you're allowed to show it in a movie. The government would gives more fucks about this than the actual slums them self.

[marrec]

Actual Indian slum.

The Slum from the movie looks rustic by comparison.

[Slayven]

Slumdog Millionaire all over again

That shit they did to those kids were wrong.

[daw840]

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article...&ocid=todent11 I will file this next to Thor's racism and religion complaints.

What? I have never heard of any Thor racism/religion complaints. Explain?

[ConfusingJazz]

What? I have never heard of any Thor racism/religion complaints. Explain?

Multiethnic Norse Gods pissed nazis off.

[Davidion]

I think it's a legitimate complaint. And let's keep the hyperbole checked, it is just that, a complaint. Nobody's calling for anyone's head.

It's something for the big studios to consider; while there's nothing blatantly insulting about the scenes it's always good to keep some considerations for how a big movie can affect perceptions about a country. There is of course the actual state of poverty in India that's worth discussing.

It's a good conversation starter for both sides, as far as I'm concerned.

[Xater]

wasn't that the point tho? That Banner was choosing to help people in impoverished areas.

Yeah that's how I understood it and it's not like those slums don't exist as a lot of other posters already pointed out.

[soul creator]

What? I have never heard of any Thor racism/religion complaints. Explain?

"You taking notes on a Nordic fucking conspiracy?" Idris Elba as Heimdall

[Divvy]

What? I have never heard of any Thor racism/religion complaints. Explain?

Racists got offended that there was a black Asgardian.

[Meier]

The first few posts nailed it -- there's not really much else to say to respond to this.

[jon bones]

if the Indian government wanted to do something about their slummy image, they should crack down on corruption in local government and make sure tax money goes to fixing up these places - not lining the pockets of officials.

also, it makes sense in the context of the movie.

[daw840]

Multiethnic Norse Gods pissed nazis off.

"You taking notes on a Nordic fucking conspiracy?" Idris Elba as Heimdall

Racists got offended that there was a black Asgardian.

Oh wow...I wish I didn't even know this. smh

[ConfusingJazz]

I think it's a legitimate complaint. And let's keep the hyperbole checked, it is just that, a complaint. Nobody's calling for anyone's head. It's something for the big studios to consider; while there's nothing blatantly insulting about the scenes it's always good to keep some considerations for how a big movie can affect perceptions about a country.

To be fair, one of the things my friends and family first say about their travels to India is the staggering amount of poverty.

These also aren't naive people who have never been out of the US, either.

[Solstice]

Well, the slums exist don't they ? I can understand getting frustrated at the constant depiction of India as being only slums but it made sense for Banner to be working among the less fortunate and poor there, right ?

Exactly

[JDSN]

India always bitches when they show their slums, ive seen them by myself, the movie even made them pretty.

[WrikaWrek]

Lol fuck off.

They exist and are worse than what the movie even depicts.

[Stinkles]

I think it's a legitimate complaint. And let's keep the hyperbole checked, it is just that, a complaint. Nobody's calling for anyone's head. It's something for the big studios to consider; while there's nothing blatantly insulting about the scenes it's always good to keep some considerations for how a big movie can affect perceptions about a country. There is of course the actual state of poverty in India that's worth discussing. It's a good conversation starter for both sides, as far as I'm concerned.

I don't see the problem. India is treated with reverent fairness in every other instance I can think of.

[Davidion]

To be fair, one of the things my friends and family first say about their travels to India is the staggering amount of poverty. These also aren't naive people who have never been out of the US, either.

I think your second point is the bigger concern, not just the portrayal of poverty but a generalization of it without context.

Also, I edited my post. the convo shouldn't be one-sided.

[Slayven]

What? I have never heard of any Thor racism/religion complaints. Explain?

Others have covered the racism thing, but there were a small group of people that worship the norse gods that were upset with the commercialism. There was one blog where the guy got depressed over seeing a toy mjornir in walmart.

[wenis]

India always bitches when they show their slums, do those not exist over there?

Ignore the problem long enough and it just stops existing...


or something like that.

[Quick]

Actor Rituparna Sengupta tells The Hindustan Times, "Kolkata has a rich culture and heritage, and a filmmaker should respect that. There are two scenes about India, and they only show slums. It could have been done in better taste." Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia adds, "It is disturbing to see the murky underbelly of India in Hollywood films. But before pointing it out to the West, we need to make efforts to change their perception about us."

These comments sound pretty ignorant of them, to be honest. I'm translating those comments as "don't look at the poor because they don't deserve attention, look at us rich folks instead and the cool buildings we have!"

And how much more "in better taste" did they want it to be treated? I did not see anything offending about that scene in general.

Here's the scene described in detail, spoiler tagged for anyone who hasn't seen it:

A kid runs through a crowd, goes inside someone's home, finds Banner and tells him her father is ill and needs help. Banner goes with her to a house, the kid sneaks out from a window, and Black Widow pops up and has a chat with him.

[daw840]

Others have covered the racism thing, but there were a small group of people that worship the norse gods that were upset with the commercialism. There was one blog where the guy got depressed over seeing a toy mjornir in walmart.

Well, I suppose that's a bit more of a valid complaint.....I guess. Better than the damn racism complaints, fucking hell.

[jon bones]

India always bitches when they show their slums, do those not exist over there?

i've spent a fair bit of time in the REAL India in my life. there is poverty and slums everywhere. there are tons of party places, big cities and good livin for affluent people (you get your own driver, maids, cooks, etc) but the disparity between the lower and upper class is awful.

[Nesotenso]

Has anyone read this book ?

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Beautif.../dp/1400067553

Heard about it couple of months back on Fresh Air.

[Orayn]

Why would Banner hide in the open, affluent areas of India. He also wanted to help people in need as a doctor. This is a pretty nonsensical criticism.

Yep. This is the beginning and end of these complaints.

[Talon]

This is stupid.

The juxtaposition of growth and poverty is pretty self-evident in many growing nations - Brazil, India, etc.

[Jeels]

Typical India. I remember when Slumdog Millionaire was trashed on until it became a hit internationally.

[shuri]

They are pissed because it wasn't shot in India and that the super corrupt local authorities didn't get a cut or a role.

[Sickboy007]

I was more bothered by the brief depiction of the anti-shield scientists working for Loki. Generic brown baddies.

[Manos: The Hans of Fate]

I was more bothered by the brief depiction of the anti-shield scientists that worked for Loki. Generic brown baddies.

Really, I noticed more Eastern/Russian looking baddies than brown ones.

[Divvy]

I was more bothered by the brief depiction of the anti-shield scientists that worked for Loki. Generic brown baddies.

I didn't even notice their ethnicities.

[Evlar]

The last major motion picture with a scene in India that I've seen was Ghost Protocol, which entirely focused on extreme affluence. Again, I don't really see a problem here... it's evident Hollywood is capable of showing more than one side of India.

[corporate cheerleader]

i've spent a fair bit of time in the REAL India in my life. there is poverty and slums everywhere. there are tons of party places, big cities and good livin for affluent people (you get your own driver, maids, cooks, etc) but the disparity between the lower and upper class is awful.

Never been to India but yeah, seconded. It's really bad.

[apana]

I think it's a legitimate complaint. And let's keep the hyperbole checked, it is just that, a complaint. Nobody's calling for anyone's head. It's something for the big studios to consider; while there's nothing blatantly insulting about the scenes it's always good to keep some considerations for how a big movie can affect perceptions about a country. There is of course the actual state of poverty in India that's worth discussing. It's a good conversation starter for both sides, as far as I'm concerned.

Good post, I agree.

[hey_it's_that_dog]

It's not the American filmmaker's responsibility to represent India in a certain way that is pleasing to India. It's India's responsibility to present a positive image of themselves. And that's sort of what's happening here, so I don't blame them for commenting, but I think they could do it without putting the responsibility entirely in the hands of the filmmakers, who obviously needed a slum for plot purposes.

If the movie was blatantly insulting or intentionally misrepresentative of India, then I'd actually have a problem with it. But as it is, it's not reasonable to expect every scene set in a certain place to be counterbalanced by other scenes to create a representative image of said place.

[Nesotenso]

The last major motion picture with a scene in India that I've seen was Ghost Protocol, which entirely focused on extreme affluence. Again, I don't really see a problem here... it's evident Hollywood is capable of showing more than one side of India.

Yeah this too. I saw the movie recently and those sequences took place in Mumbai and they didn't depict shanty towns.

[Window]

To the people saying "typical India" or "India always does this", could you please not lump together people like that since the opinion of a few film 'stars' (the ones stated aren't exactly big names...) is not representative of everyone in India (or even the majority) who has seen the film.

i've spent a fair bit of time in the REAL India in my life. there is poverty and slums everywhere. there are tons of party places, big cities and good livin for affluent people (you get your own driver, maids, cooks, etc) but the disparity between the lower and upper class is awful.

I'm curious, where did you spend your time at?