We should not shy away from reality: Irrfan Khan

"Actor Irrfan Khan, who plays the key role of an inspector in Golden Globe winning ‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ said that the film should not be criticised for showing poverty as it is the reality of today’s India.

“If anyone has any objection to the depiction of poverty in the film they should first come forward and take initiative to remove it. Only talking won’t help,” the actor said in an interview.

“Scams like Satyam computers are doing a better job of giving a bad name to our country than the depiction of poverty in a film. We should not shy away from showing the truth,” he added.

Irrfan plays the character of an investigative officer in the Danny Boyle film, which is based on the life of a Mumbai slumdweller. The film has been criticised in certain sections for depicting stereotyped Mumbai.

“We can not shut our eyes from the fact that a large section of our country continues to live abject poverty which can not be removed by not being shown in a film. We need to work on grass-root level to remove this problem,” he added.

The actor, who has worked in international films like ‘The Warrior’ and ‘A Mighty Heart’ with Angelina Jolie believes"