Many Indian film critics, from the casual blogger to movie stars, have made it a point to mention their indignation at the depiction of India in Slumdog Millionaire. As an Indian movie-goer, I feel obliged to present my opposing view.
This movie is not an attack on India. While I do agree that some scenes seem implausible(e.g. the calm blue boy in the middle of the riots), nonetheless, everything that happens in the story, does occur in India.
If their goal was to create a story about the most misfortunate boy in the world getting rich, and set that story in India, I think they hit it spot on. Had the story been set in the US, it may have been about an abused black boy in the south. Not that that is an accurate description of the US, but it is what fits the plot. I don’t believe Trainspotting wasn’t an accurate description of Scotland either, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the movie(and the movie didn’t make me consider the Scottish the "scum of the earth").
What we must also realize is that this movie is to some extent a tribute to Bollywood. And the reason Bollywood movies have appealed to us for so many generations is not their accurate portrayal of life, but quite the opposite - the fantasy of escape. If you believe it is unfair for SM to make Anil Kapoor’s KBC host seem like a total jerk, then I really wish you’d watch this movie again, this time not expecting a documentary.
I liked the movie, but I’m not crazy about it like some people. But I believe some of our reasons, as Indians, for disliking it, are as ignorant as we believe this film is. I am as ashamed of the slums, and the communal violence as anyone else, but hating something for even mentioning our problems - to me - that is what is really shameful.