DHARAVI, in Mumbai, was the setting for the critically acclaimed filmSlumdog Millionaire and is considered the largest slum in Asia, with close to a million people living in one square mile.
It is the home for people of all faiths and the location of a thriving industry.
The Real Slumdogs introduces the real residents who live and work in Dharavi and are proud to call it home.
Thirty-two-year-old ragpicker Babu works at Dharavi’s dump. He is the leader of a gang of young ragpickers who work 12-hour days, systematically sifting through the garbage for recyclable materials — all for just a dollar a day. Babu’s friends think he should settle down and marry. Babu wants to wait till he has made something of himself.
Laxmi is one of three generations of ragpickers whose hard work on the dump has started to pay off and her family now owns a ragpicking business, employing others to help sort through the garbage. As well as her long hours she has found the time to volunteer for the Acorn Foundation, a project that focuses on education and improved rights — but against her family’s wishes.
Rickshaw driver Shailesh has lofty dreams for a slum dweller. He wants to make it in Bollywood. With good looks and a natural charisma it isn’t long before he is noticed by a producer and asked to star in a music video. We join Shailesh on his first taste of the big-time that could realize his grand ambitions.
Through these and other stories, this documentary aims to show the true face of Dharavi by talking to the people who live and work everyday of their lives in the slum and the outsiders determined to improve their quality of life. You’ve seen the Hollywood version; now meet the real slumdogs.
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