From Satyajit Ray to Danny Boyle: A Case of Paradigm Shift on Poverty aesthetics and Romanticization of poverty in Indian Cinema

In the post independent Indian Cinema, Satyajit Ray and other filmmakers frequently chose themes that honestly portrayed poverty of the nation. However, it did not go down well with many critics who wanted to project a vibrant India in1950s. It was a time when India was making conscious efforts to reel out of her scarcity. Ray made his movie ‘Pather Panchali’ [1955] to present his beliefs that images of poverty in the simplicity of countryside life was chaste and truthful. Despite scathing remarks against his creation, he persevered in his efforts to garner enough support for his love for ‘Art for art’s sake’. Quite paradoxically though, after 50 years in 2008, there came Danny Boyle’s much acclaimed film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ which went on to win many laurels at academy awards. The whole world now openly celebrated the vulnerability of the poor masses in India. This article therefore analyses this dichotomy in film criticism. Besides making a comparative study of these two movies from different times, this article argues to prove that Ray was a visionary who presented his art even in the despicable images of scarceness and that he did not malign the image of India through his films.