The Oscars in 2009 were the coming out party for India. Three Oscars, three cheers, and three Muslims. The story about a Muslim boy's struggle on the streets of Mumbai received eight Oscars. Of those eight Oscars, three winners are Indians. They are also Muslims.*
Was Slumdog Millionaire's portrayal of Mumbai unfair? Did the movie try to profit from the poverty of the slum-dwellers in Dharvi? I don't have an answer. What I do know is that the two out of the three Indians who took the Oscars home are Muslims. AR Rahman and Rasul Pookutty are Muslims while Gulzar was born Sampooran Singh in Deena near Jhelum, Pakistan.
The three prove one thing that is lost on most in Pakistan. Indian Muslims are proud of their national identity. They have found the way to be both Indian and Muslim, which is no different than being Indian and Hindu.
* http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090223.wslumdog24/BNStory/Front/
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