Australian influencer Pete Z is getting absolutely torn apart on social media after posting a video titled, “I Tried Surviving India’s ‘Deadliest Slum’,” which many commenters are calling a clear-cut case of “poverty tourism.” The clip, which originally went up on Instagram and has a longer version on YouTube, shows the content creator’s attempt to live in Mumbai’s Dharavi, which is one of the largest slums in the entire world and was famously featured in the 2008 movie Slumdog Millionaire.
The entire premise of the video is pretty gross, starting right out of the gate with footage of a woman being robbed, immediately setting the tone that this is supposed to be some dangerous, edgy adventure. Pete Z and his friend, Ayushi, announce that they’re going to be staying in Dharavi for three days. It’s not the first influencer who had a bad mindset, and it won’t be the last.
As the crew walks through the super-tight, maze-like alleyways, Pete Z exclaims, “So this is actually the inside of the slums. Look how thin this area is that we’re in right now.” It’s that kind of commentary, treating a place where real people live as an exhibit or an obstacle course, that has people so worked up.
Another privileged influencer makes a mockery of those who don’t live as well as them
The accommodations for this “survival” challenge aren’t exactly glamorous, which is the point, but the influencer’s reaction is what has rubbed viewers the wrong way. He gets to his spot, which is basically a hole-in-the-wall setup with a tiny kitchen and a ladder leading up to a small bunk bed. “Oh my goodness, time for me to go sleep now,” he says while climbing into the cot, with him and his friend laughing at the “shambolic arrangements.”
It’s hard to watch someone treat the difficult reality of millions as a punchline for clicks. Even still, he’s not in a life-or-death situation; he is just dealing with what others live with and mocking it.
In the extended YouTube version of the video, it gets even more sensationalist. Pete Z is shown interacting with various locals, including what the report mentions is a pimp, and he supposedly avoids several robbery attempts after people warn him that it’s a “bad idea” for a foreigner to stay there. This kind of heavy-handed focus on crime and danger is exactly why so many commenters are accusing him of sensationalizing poverty just to get more views on his videos.
To be fair, my family is from Mexico, and it is very dangerous outside of the tourist areas. Even my wife’s own hometown was taken over by the cartel recently. However, it’s not something that should be made to joke about or made as some kind of zoo exhibit.
The backlash in the comments is pretty fierce and direct, too. People are not holding back in calling out his stunt. One commenter absolutely slammed the video, writing, “Dharavi is not your adventure park.” That perfectly sums up the core issue here: he’s treating a real neighborhood as some kind of theme park ride. Another person chimed in with, “This isn’t survival, it’s poverty tourism. Dharavi deserves respect, not clickbait.”
The criticism isn’t just about respect, either—it’s about the bigger picture of how this kind of content misrepresents an entire country. One user told him, “Hey dingus, I’d suggest you to explore the other sides of India too,” and pointed out that “as an Indian myself, I do think there is some part of your audience who’s gonna judge the entire country based on that particular area you’ve covered.”
The United States has its own ghettos and bad areas, I know, because I grew up in one. I have dead friends who never graduated. That doesn’t mean it’s okay for people to go to the one-bedroom apartment my family stayed in and make it seem like a death trap. This is overall bad.
Published: Oct 3, 2025 05:33 am