Slum dweller sues stars of Slumdog Millionaire for insulting the poor

An Indian slum dweller has taken the Indian stars of Slumdog Millionaire, the British-made film, to court alleging that its graphic portrayal of Mumbai's shantytowns has offended millions of his peers.

The case was registered by the chief judicial magistrate in the northern city of Patna against the film's Golden Globe-winning music director A. R. Rahman, the actor Anil Kapoor and other Indians associated with the project.



The petitioner, Tapeshwar Vishwakarma, is the general secretary of the Jhuggi Jhonpdi Sanyukta Sangharsh Samiti, a group that seeks to promote the rights of slum dwellers. He is seeking to have the film banned.

"Vishwakarma requested the court to protect the honour and respect of millions of slum dwellers across India," his lawyer Shruti Singh said. "What hurt him was that even Indians associated with the film [did not object to being called] slumdogs," Ms Singh said.