Slumdog Millionaire follows the story of an orphan named Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) who grows up in the harsh slums of Mumbai, only to be chosen as a contestant on the Hindi version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire where he's poised to win $20 million rupees.
Boyle's newest novel-to-silver screen adaptation has raked in over $12 million since its opening, according to BoxOffice.com and is being lauded by film critics nationwide. The director's popularity has grown since he released 1996's cult classic Trainspotting – the story of a group of heroin addicts living in Edinburgh.
Slumdog is based on a novel called Q and A by Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup. And it follows not only the boys life but India's trajectory from underdeveloped to a capitalistic, mass consumption society.
As always Boyle manages to evoke raw emotions and suspense from his use of guerilla-like camera work, stunning scenery of the Mumbai slums and Indian countryside, as well as a touching love story that carries the audience until the end.
A Touching Story With One Leg In The Past
The film follows the life of Jamal and his older, amoral brother Salim through a series of flashbacks.
When it opens Jamal has been arrested and tortured by Indian police who believe that his good fortune on the television show is attributed to cheating – when in fact each question is inexplicably tied to major events in his life.
In order to appease Sergeant Srinivas (Saurabh Shukla) he tells the story of how he knows each of the answers and how they relate to his incredibly challenging life.
The two brothers were orphans after their mother is murdered. They travel the country hustling and stealing to survive, later struggling to avoid a nefarious head of an orphanage and meet a beautiful young girl named Latika (Freida Pinto) along the way.
Like Boyle's other films, Slumdog features his characteristic style of dark humor, plus those scenes that are touching and those that are sickening and disturbing. In an ode to gross toilets - a memorable scene from Trainspotting with Ewan McGregor - Boyle has the young Jamal jump into a vat of feces to get the autograph of his favorite Bollywood actor.
Another stomach-turning scene features his twisted brother Salim forcing him out of their room to steal young Latika's virginity. Jamal doesn't see neither of them for many years after that night, but makes it his mission to find her.
While the story is told through a series of historical vignettes, the action always returns to Jamal on the set of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
Slumdog More Than Money, It's a Love Story
Throughout the entire film, Jamal is only a few questions away from winning millions, but his true motivation is finding the beautiful Latika. When he does find her she is in an abusive relationship with a local gangster who happens to employ his brother Salim.
Both characters have always felt a profound connection with one another since they first met, but because of their circumstances neither had the opportunity to express it. Winning the $20 million rupees is only an ancillary to Jamal's goal, one that would allow the two to live together anywhere in the world.
A Fascination With Game Shows
Game shows are a fascination for Boyle who includes them in almost all of his movies. The director's fascination could be to point out a relation between chance, risk and the unpredictability of life. Slumdog, on the other hand, is one step closer - it is completely set within a contemporary game show.
Yet, the Hindi version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire is more than just simple entertainment in this film.
Instead it shows the cultural changes in India as Bombay transforms into Mumbai, considered the metropolitan center of the entire country. The old slums are torn down and replaced by high rise hotels, investment makes the cities' businesses rich, and the Americanized ideal of “anything is possible” takes hold.
Mckenzie Cassidy - I'm a reporter for a community newspaper in Southwest Florida. I have broad interests in education, books that include poetry, fiction ...
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