Aadesh outraged at Bachchan's portrayal

Aadesh Shrivastava outraged at Bachchan's portrayal in Slumdog Millionaire

By Subhash K. Jha, February 19, 2009 - 11:12 IST

After watching Slumdog Millionaire, Aadesh Shrivastava has a question for Danny Boyle. "How dare you degrade our national icon Amitabh Bachchan?"

Composer Aadesh Shrivastava has been in and out of the US collaborating with rapper Wyclef Jean.

But now after Slumdog Millionaire, Aadesh says he's embarrassed to walk on the American streets. "I'm so upset. They've started calling Indians ' slumdogs', just like 'coolie' was a gaali in Britain. Now in the US I feel slumdog is a gaali for us Indians. Mumbai has given me everything. To see the city being shown as a place of dirt filth and crime only is very humiliating. Even I can make a film on child prostitution and pedophilia. But it won't get Oscars because I am not a gora."

Aadesh saw Slumdog Millionaire in LA this week and he was shocked. "What f...k right does the director have to show Mumbai as a slum? Now we are considered a slum city in all parts of the world. Humlog kahin mooh dikhane laayak nahin rahe."

While applauding A. R. Rahman's music, Aadesh says he'd never be part of a film that makes India look like a slum. "I'm so upset. It's a disgusting movie. Being an Indian it was doubly humiliating to be watching the film with Americans. Even if Steven Spielberg asked me to compose music for a film that makes fun of India I won't do it. "

Being a diehard Amitabh Bachchan bhakt Aadesh is appalled at the way the Big B is shown in the film. "I puked when I saw that kid smeared in shit asking for Bachchan Saab's autograph. What the f...k was that? Does Danny Boyle know what Bachchan Saab means to us Indians? Who would dare approach him like that?"

Spews Aadesh, "We applaud people who come to our city and spit in our faces."

I agree it's a fictional story but I do understand why some mumbaikers are offended. It's like he pointed out coolie is a gaali in Britian towards Indians and now thanks to this movie, people might refer to Indians as slumdogs.

I know I hate it when many American shows focus on the cows and poverty in India, it actually ticks the hell outta me because I usually have people at my work asking me whether India is nothing but poor people living in slums and cows walking aimlessly. You have no idea how much it offends me; people are ignorant so personally I don't blame Aadeshji for getting upset.

We sitting far away and unaffected can say oh grow up and blah blah but it is until you get a offensive comment that makes you realize that the anger is justified!

I agree somewhat with what Adesh is saying as I live in teh US and people here have such limited knowledge that in everyday life you do hear these demaning remarks and people do think that India is nothing but a country that has cows raoming the streets aimlessly and evryone is poor there....