Slumdog Millionaire

I have to admit that I was skeptical at first when I saw the trailer for the movie Slumdog Millionaire. For whatever reason, I thought it was going to be shallow,"westernized" if you will, but after hearing from several friends that it was great, I decided it would be worth watching.

I was right, in fact, it may be too real for some. It's raw, it's heart-wrenching, and it's real. The "slumdogs" are real. I have seen them ... playing on burning heaps of trash, maimed and wandering in the streets, out working the streets to make a few rupees so they can eat that day.

There's a scene where Jamal, the main character, is caught for playing "tour guide" to an American couple. After they stop the cop from beating him, he shouts, "You wanted to see the real India, here it is!" and then they show him a bit of the "real America" and give him $100 bill. It's an interesting scene. When we, Westerners, encounter such a vast scene of poverty and suffering, we somehow think that we can help solve the problems, or at least stop the bleeding, by handing over some money. And it's not that giving money is a bad thing necessarily, but ultimately it is only a band-aid for a gun shot wound.

I was really surprised and happy to read a recent BBC report that the director of the movie, Danny Boyle, has created a trust fund to benefit the child actors that starred in the movie. But, even more significant are the projects that organizations like SIM, OM International, and Samaritan's Purse (just to name a few) are involved in that help these kids in a holistic manner—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—providing a complete view of hope, and usable tools that will develop them for the future.