Slumdog Millionaire

Just caught the latest flick that’s been making waves on the movie circuit. Watching Slumdog Millionaire has been the high point of my otherwise dreary Christmas break. Based on the book Q&A by Vikas Swarup and directed by Danny Boyle, the movie follows Jamal Malik, a boy from the slums of Mumbai who makes it big on the Indian version of Who Wants to be Millionaire.
His dream run on the show is cut short when suspicions are raised on how a slum dog with no education could know all the correct answers. After being picked up and tortured by the law enforcement, Jamal’s explanation on how he knew the answers takes the viewer through the story of his life on the streets. After being orphaned in an anti Muslim attack on the slums, Jamal, his brother Salim and another orphan girl Latika are living off the trash heaps when they are discovered by Maman, a gangster who uses children to beg. Their escape from Maman, separation from Latika and the brothers’ life on the streets, form bits and pieces of how Jamal knew all the answers on the show. The police inspector calls his story ‘bizarrely plausible’ and allows Jamal to return to the show to answer the final question. The movie ends on a high note with a Bollywood touch and a true Bollywood style song and dance sequence.
The movie takes honest and poignant look into the lives of Mumbai’s slum dwellers. Profound scenes from Jamal’s life manage to simultaneously strike a chord with the viewer and also brings a smile to your lips at times. More than anything else, what works is the casting and the performances. The child actors excel in their roles, Dev Patel as Jamal is subtle and still gives an intense performance, Anil Kapoor as the cynical host of the show is brilliant. One however wishes there could have been a bit more of Irrfaan Khan who still manages to give a power packed performance in his short role as the police inspector. All in all Slumdog Millionaire is definitely a must watch.