A spiritual reflection on Slumdog Millionaire
After attending a marathon screening of the Best Picture nominees Saturday and staying up late last night to watch the awards, I was looking for an excuse to post about the Oscars today. I’ll start just by directing attention at Vineet Chander’s reflection on Slumdog Millionaire over at Progressive Revival. (Note: I am making a conscious effort to not refer to it as “Slumdog.”)
But to get mired in the “is-it-or-isn’t-it pro-India” debate misses the forest for the trees, and robs the film of its subtle but powerful spiritual message. At its heart, “Slumdog” owns the paradox and discovers meaning in the contradictions. At its core, it is the story of miracles hidden in those contradictions¸ of choosing to see a divine author’s hand behind the writing on the wall. It is God – or, according to “Slumdog”, *destiny* – in the details.
How does Jamal Malik know all the answers? They’ve been there all his life, waiting for him to notice. And that is the beauty of “Slumdog Millionaire.” It calls us to embrace hope in the face of the hopeless, to recognize purpose in the seemingly senseless. “For one who sees Me in everything and everything in Me,” Lord Krishna says in the sacred Bhagavad Gita, “I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.” Oscar wins or not, that is worth celebrating.
And check out this picture of an audience in Mumbai.