Would the rich look as powerful if they turned poor? A recent series by Mysuru-based artist Gokul Pillai reimagines the world’s richest in rags. Titled Slumdog Millionaires, the art pieces focus on an alternate world where subverted power structures call for attention. In an implausible setting, Bill Gates sports a smile in a lungi; Donald Trump looks frail and dissatisfied; Mark Zuckerberg seems to have slipped out of gully cricket for a quick snap; and Elon Musk looks confident even in his soiled clothes. Pillai, an engineer by profession, tells us that although he has been surveying the possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI) for long, this particular set made netizens go berserk. “I have received so many comments on the post that it made me think ‘what about the idea makes it so arresting?’”

Bill Gates and Elon Musk