Slumdog Millionaire - Worth Every Rupee

Slumdog Millionaire was my family's choice for this year's Thanksgiving movie-going experience, narrowly beating out Quantum of Solace and Australia. I haven't seen the Bond flick or the Aussie show, but after Slumdog I have no doubt in my mind that we made the right decision. Slumdog is a great film, heavy with unrelenting love, genuine joy, and truthful hardship.

Directed by Danny Boyle (Sunshine, Trainspotting), Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Jamal Malik, an Indian teen who is thrust into the national spotlight as he finds himself one question away from 20 million rupees on India's version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Believing it impossible that a kid from the slums could have progressed so far on the show, police interrogate Jamal on suspicion of cheating. Over the course of the interrogation we are taken back through chapters in Jamal's turbulent life as he describes the experiences that enabled him to answer each question. In time the revelations show that he is not on the show for money, but for love.


Firstly, kudos to Danny Boyle for his direction. I normally don't get swept away by cinematography and camera work, and when it does happen it's usually because I'm looking at something that is undeniably beautiful, almost to the point where the director needs only to point the camera and film. What I love about Slumdog is that much of what we see is a harsh reality, void of much natural beauty, but through a very active and stylish camera, Boyle creates images and sequences that you don't want to turn away from. Briskly cut to a cool soundtrack supported by songs by M.I.A, some scenes will leave you content to sit back and watch the characters move through their world.

The slums of Mumbai make up much of the world of the film. For most of the movie Jamal navigates this world with his older brother, Salim. The boys, first introduced as 6-9 year olds, are on different paths from the start. Jamal is sensitive and caring, while Salim is tough, selfish, and a watchdog for the wellbeing of he and his brother. The brothers endure early hardships of orphanage, religious intolerance, and poverty with the companionship of fellow orphan, Latika. Jamal cares deeply for Latika, and although circumstances over the course of his life keep him separate from her, and eventually his brother, destiny ultimately reunites all three characters for the conclusion of their story.

Jamal's story covers three phases of his life in which all three main characters appear. We have the pleasure of watching three different actors for each character, and all get a fair amount of screen time. I wasn't too sure how I felt about the shifts at first, but looking back I was far too enamored by the performances, especially by the young actors, to be pulled out of the film. Although I have to say that much of the acting is done in Hindi, and I've rarely been able to single out an actor for a poor performance in a language I am not familiar with. But there's more to acting than delivering lines, and the kids do a great job.

My favorite part of Slumdog would have to be the structure of the story. If I tried to write the same story, I would live in constant fear that Jamal's life experiences and the structure of the game show would feel forced to the point where they seemed to sorely compliment one another in order to reach an end. It's a situation where a writer can make so many decisions that can make the script seem too convenient. Not that there isn't some level of convenience in the movie. There were a few moments where I questioned a character's motivation or Jamal's experiences in relation to one of the game show answers, but when I compared the margin of error to the execution of the story, I was very impressed with Simon Beaufoy's script and Vikas Swarup's story.

The film's balance of dramatic, love story, and comedic elements helps make it accessible to a wide audience. It's Indie, it's foreign, but nobody should knock on it for those reasons. I like mainstream material, but Slumdog Millionaire is one of the best movies I've seen this year. I find myself calling it India's City of God, and like City of God, Slumdog is more than worthy of a trip to the movie theatre and certainly worthy of a place on the dvd shelf.