Slumdog was made by a British man to suit Western audiences – that is why it has caught the attention of Western audiences. Hindi Movies are made solely for the masses of India, as they are the ones who watch the Hindi movies. Hindi movies are not made to suit the interests of those who live outside of India–these days another set of movies are being made by American Indians who do not even speak Hindi in these movies and hardly have song and dance sequences.

The masses of India want songs and dances in their movies as song and dance are part of their way of life. They are called MUSICALS!! The makers of Hindi movies know this and as they want their movies to rake in the cash–they provide what the masses want. The poor masses of India are like the poor fellow Salim of Slumdog; why would they pay to see what they face in their everyday life? The scenes are shot outside of India as this is the only way many of these poor masses–the ones you Mr. Muneshwar referred to as–a “puerile lot,” can be able to picture what it is like in “the Swiss Alps and Piccadilly Circus.” At one time, some directors started shooting two sets of shots for the same song/dance sequences. One set in India for the people who live outside of India and another set abroad for the poor masses of India.

Movies for the masses are just that–an escape from reality that many need to help them break the most time heart wrenching poverty that they face everyday.

To call the poor people of India as “a puerile lot who wouldn’t know a half-decent movie if it was liquefied and poured over their eyes” is extremely bigoted and very sad. Not everyone is lucky to be born rich or to be able to even get a decent education. I suggest Mr. Muneshwar watch Swades with Shah Rukh Khan and he may be able to understand some of the nuances of life in ordinary India. There are many Hindi movies that are about life in India— Guru is good; a series of 3 movies–Earth, Water, ire; A Wednesday or Laga Chunari Mein Dhaag, just to name a few that come to mind as they’re too many to remember all of them. Many of these movies were shown right here at the local television stations but maybe because they do not have song and dance–they were perhaps missed?

And just FYI, some of the Indian soaps while they too are not solely based on reality, they have been tackling some touchy issues like untouchablity, widow marriages, arranged marriages, etc. Most of the Masala Hindi movies–the big hits; deal with exactly what you Mr. Muneshwar criticise them of not wanting to tackle–they’re all about “crime and corruption and poverty.” The star boy comes from some village to the city to become somebody. He encounters some rich corrupted scamps who try their best to defeat him etc, etc, but their rich daughter falls in love with the same poor fellow and so with lots of songs and dances and dishum dishum in between either they both die–a tragedy, or they bash up the scamps who end up in The Central Jail and the stars sing a song in the end–like how Slumdog ended in song/dance!!

Its entertainment for poor people, Mr. Muneshwar, plain and simple. They don’t go to the movies to see themselves, they want see Shah Rukh and Abhishek. It is an escape from the hard realities of every day life. Rich people go to the gyms and the parks while the masses–the “puerile lot” as you called them, pay a few rupees and for the next 3 or so hours try forget all their hardship as they engross themselves in the life of Krssh or Don or Billu Barber or Guru.
N. BISNATH