Gautam Adani, the chairman of Adani Group, took a sly dig at Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle while talking about his plans to develop the slums of Dharavi, Mumbai, which is described as one of the largest slums in Asia.
Referring to the movie, Adani in his open letter wrote, “God willing, the likes of Danny Boyle will discover that the new Dharavi is producing millionaires with the slumdog prefix.”
For the unversed, a major part of Slumdog Millionaire was shot in Dharavi and the movie went on to bag eight Oscar awards including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director. It also won five Critic’s Chose Awards, four Golden Globes and seven BAFTA Awards including Best Film.
Last week, the state government of Maharashtra awarded Adani the redevelopment project of Dharavi by accepting its bid of $619 million. The area that covers 625 acres (253 hectares) has been described by the official as the “world’s largest urban renewal scheme.”
Adani, on the company’s website, wrote that the redevelopment will provide gas, water, healthcare, drainage, and other facilities.
The redevelopment of Dharavi was first mooted in the 1980s as a way to develop valuable land and provide better standard of living to those residing there.