Abstract

This study reveals the dynamism of cultural change that the film “Slumdog$Millionaire” (2008) brought about by analyzing the controversy over the film in India.Because this film is a hybrid between the UK and India, it helped accelerate the dynamism of cultural change and further cultural fluidity. The analysis shows that the Indian attitude toward the film changed from negative to positive. Initially the film sparked protests and criticism. Indians criticized the film as westerners’ stereotypical and discriminatory portrayal of India. Gradually, however, the global praise of the film, especially the film’s winning of the Oscar influenced the Indian perception. The Indianness of the film came to be emphasized in India, and the perception that the film was “Indian” (Bollywood) and therefore the praise was for India or Bollywood, gained power. The process shows the India’s identity struggle between the global and the local.