Slumdog Millionaire
Scandal: M.I.A. proper credit due -- Slumdog's female, Indian co-director gets no love.
The Issue: You probably haven't heard her name, but Loveleen Tandan, who co-directed Slumdog with Danny Boyle, has been all but shut out of industry acknowledgement for her key role on the film -- sparking protest, particularly from women in the industry. In addition to casting, Tandan shot many scenes in the box office hit and made key script changes, including rewriting the children's dialogue in Hindi, creating a vitally authentic feel. A group called Women in the Audience Supporting Women Artists Now even launched an online campaign urging Boyle to share his name with Tandan on the Academy Awards ballot.
What the Press is Saying:
"Chicago film critic Jan Lisa Huttner, asked: 'If she's co-director during the film-making and marketing process, why isn't she co-nominee when the awards are passed out?" ... Of the film's 10 Oscar nominations, only the music and sound categories feature Indian contributors." -- Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor, Telegraph.co.uk
Leave it alone?: According to the Telegraph.co.uk, the modest Tandan insists she does not want a proper director credit. "When Huttner lobbied the Golden Globes voters at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on the issue, Tandan sent the HFPA a letter which read: 'The suggestion is highly inappropriate, and I am writing to you to stress that I would not wish it to be considered.' At the Slumdog Millionaire premiere in Mumbai, she reiterated the point. 'My credit is not 'directed by'. It is co-director: India,' she said. 'I am greatly honoured by the credit I have been accorded. It would be a grave injustice if the credit I have should have the effect of diminishing Danny Boyle's magnificent achievement.'" OK, Loveleen because we're loving your film (and your name), we'll leave it alone (and the issues that have surfaced over child labor payment) -- for now...
Wrongness-meter: 4 out of 5 stars
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