Danny Boyle has been reflecting on his Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, saying that he wouldn’t direct it now, but would look for a “young Indian filmmaker to shoot it” instead.
Slumdog Millionaire was the biggest critical and commercial hit of Danny Boyle’s career, grossing $378 million from a budget of $15 million, and earning him a Best Director Oscar, as well as the Academy Award for Best Picture.
The 2008 film was set in the slums of Mumbai, and revolved around a teenager called Jamal (Dev Patel), who endeavours to escape poverty by winning TV quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
Boyle was born and raised in the north of England, but shot this very Indian tale on the streets of Mumbai and partly in Hindi, which is something he wouldn’t do now, some 18 years on.
Danny Boyle says Slumdog Millionaire was made via “flawed method”
While doing publicity for new film 28 Years Later, Boyle was asked about Slumdog Millionaire by The Guardian, and said: “We wouldn’t be able to make that now. And that’s how it should be. It’s time to reflect on all that. We have to look at the cultural baggage we carry and the mark that we’ve left on the world.”
He adds that the production had good intentions, stating: “At the time it felt radical. We made the decision that only a handful of us would go to Mumbai. We’d work with a big Indian crew and try to make a film within the culture. But you’re still an outsider. It’s still a flawed method. That kind of cultural appropriation might be sanctioned at certain times. But at other times it cannot be.”
He also doubts that Slumdog Millionaire would be made today, unless one specific condition was met. “I’m proud of the film,” Boyle continued. “But you wouldn’t even contemplate doing something like that today. It wouldn’t even get financed. Even if I was involved, I’d be looking for a young Indian filmmaker to shoot it.”
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