Danny Boyle, 68, says he wouldn’t make Slumdog Millionaire nowadays over ‘cultural appropriation’ fears: ‘How it should be!’
Danny Boyle has acknowledged that his Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire couldn’t be made today, describing it as a form of cultural appropriation during an interview whilst promoting his new film 28 Years Later.
The 2008 film, which followed a Mumbai teenager from the slums winning a quiz show jackpot, secured eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Boyle.
Boyle also bagged a Bafta for his directorial work on film, while it nabbed Best Picture at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, and several other awards ceremonies that year.
At the time of release, the film received widespread critical acclaim, though it proved more divisive amongst Indian communities, with some critics noting that Indian filmmakers hadn’t received similar recognition for comparable works.
“We wouldn’t be able to make that now,” the director said. “And that’s how it should be. It’s time to reflect on all that.
“We have to look at the cultural baggage we carry and the mark that we’ve left on the world.”
When asked if the production amounted to colonialism, Boyle responded: “No, no… Well, only in the sense that everything is.”
He explained that whilst the approach felt radical at the time, with only a handful of outsiders working alongside a large Indian crew, “you’re still an outsider. It’s still a flawed method.”
The director stated that such cultural appropriation “might be sanctioned at certain times. But at other times it cannot be.”
He was unequivocal about the film’s prospects in today’s climate: “I mean, I’m proud of the film, but you wouldn’t even contemplate doing something like that today. It wouldn’t even get financed.”
Boyle went further, suggesting that even with his involvement, the approach would be fundamentally different. “Even if I was involved, I’d be looking for a young Indian film-maker to shoot it,” he told The Guardian.
His comments appear to rule out involvement in any revisiting of the material, with reports claiming that are efforts to develop a sequel and television adaptation through production company Bridge7.
Boyle’s reflections come as he promotes 28 Years Later, his return to the zombie franchise he originated in 2002.
The new film, now in cinemas, represents the first instalment of a planned trilogy, with sequel The Bone Temple already filmed under director Nia DaCosta.
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And Boyle isn’t the only 28 Years Later alum who’s hit headlines this week for recent remarks to the press.
Speaking at the London premiere of the horror flick, leading star Aaron Taylor-Johnson left fans convinced he’d “definitely” secured the role of James Bond thanks to a cryptic five-word remark to a reporter.
When quizzed on what he had next in the pipeline, Taylor-Johnson replied to a Deadline reporter: “I can’t talk about that.”
Taylor-Johnson was promptly ushered away by his representatives as 007 fans still eagerly await official confirmation from film bosses.