Ram's reaction to Shantarum's actions are also very different from Jamal's. Ram intended to put a stop to Gudiya's abuse. The consequences were only an afterthought. Ram's murderous actions are much different from Jamal's defeatist attitude. In many ways it is easier to sympathize with Jamal. He is always the underdog getting shoved and never the one doing the shoving. Even though he does try to attack Salim and keep him away from Latika, he ends up conceding in the end. True, Latika tells him to leave and he has a gun pointed at his head, but it is hard to see Jamal pushing anybody down the stairs with the intent to kill. To me, this scene gave Ram agency that Jamal somewhat lacks.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Minimizing Abuse
One of the big differences between the novel and the film is the different portrayal of abuse and violence. In the novel Gudiya is sexually abused by her father. This has an intense effect on Ram. In the film the closest scene to this one is when Latika is clearly sexually abused by Salim. Although it is disturbing in the film, this scene is nowhere near the same as the one in the book. Incest is something people shy away from in general, so it is somewhat understandable that they changed this scene in the movie. As we discussed in class, the movie was a Hollywood production. There is something about incestuous abuse that disturbs our comfort zone to a greater extent.
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I find the most interesting aspect of your post to be the fact that Hollywood nullified the intensity of a momentous occurrence in the book in two aspects. First, they changed the incestuous treatment of Gudiya to the unseen rape of Latika. Secondly, Ram's murder was cut out and replaced with an unwanted parting from his brother. Neither one of these situations, the film's or the book's, is a lighthearted one. However, it becomes apparent through viewing these types of Hollywood avoidances that the decisions made in adopting a screenplay for the book were very, very calculated.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet, the scene in the movie is powerful. While Latika’s rape by Salim is implied, and unseen, I think that moment still elicits an emotional response from viewers. The same can be said for Latika’s “relationship” with Javed, the gangster for whom Salim works. It’s obvious that Javed is abusive and the relationship is anything but consensual, but it doesn’t take a rape scene to convey this to the audience. Though Slumdog Millionaire is a product of Hollywood, it is also, more specifically, a product of Danny Boyle. (And like Dr. Shingavi pointed out, Boyle’s films are usually politically correct.) I agree that the process of adapting a novel to the screen (or stage for that matter) is calculated. Everything is a choice. Had Slumdog Millionaire followed the book more closely, it would have simply been a different movie with its own parameters of dialogue.
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