Mumbai slums protest against "Slumdog"

By Rina Chandran

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Dozens of residents of a Mumbai slum where "Slumdog Millionaire" was partly shot protested against the Oscar-nominated film on Tuesday, hurling insults and hitting pictures of its cast and crew with slippers.

The movie's international success has been tempered by objections in India to the name, which some slum dwellers find offensive, its depiction of the lives of impoverished Indians and the treatment of the cast.

Its director, Danny Boyle, has faced accusations from some parts of the Indian media that his film was "poverty porn." Boyle has said he was trying to capture Mumbai's "lust for life."

The film, which has scooped several international awards and won 10 Oscar nominations, opened in India last month.

"They have made a mockery of us, they have hurt our sentiments," said N.R. Paul, a protest leader and resident in Dharavi, Asia's largest slum.

The protesters, who were forced by policemen to assemble a few hundred metres from Dharavi, shouted "Down, down Danny Boyle" and "Down, down Censor Board."

"Slum dwellers are human beings, not dogs," said one poster.

Protesters also slapped pictures of Boyle and the film's actors with slippers, saying their depiction of poverty was demeaning to millions.