Professor David Peimer
Great British Films about India Today: Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Slumdog Millionaire
How to watch
Summary
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a wonderful film starring the brilliant Dame Judi Dench and the superb Dame Maggie Smith. Slumdog Millionaire won 8 Oscars. However, both films are also controversial: Do they depict a charming but sentimental British view of India today or not? Do they portray the realities of a non-Gandhian India? And was India ever really Gandhian? Lastly, how do the movies show India through Western eyes?
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a Professor of Literature, Film and Theatre in the UK. He has worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, New York University (Global Division) and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing. He has most recently directed Dame Janet Suzman in his own play, Joanna’s Story, at London Jewish Book Week. He has published numerous books, including Armed Response: Plays from South Africa and the digital book Theatre in the Camps. He is on the board of the Pinter Centre (London), and has been involved with the Mandela Foundation, Vaclav Havel Foundation and directed a range of plays at Mr Havel’s Prague theatre.