Slumdog Millionaire

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Winner of eight Academy Awards (including the Best Picture and the Best Director awards), seven BAFTA awards, four Golden Globe awards, and numerous other recognitions – Slumdog Millionaire. The story of the movie’s journey from an almost has-been to being one of the most feted movies of the decade, is no less a rags-to-rajah story than Jamal K. Malik’s! Yes, this was the movie that no one saw as being commercially viable, the movie that was almost released straight to DVD, the movie that no one gave any chance at winning.

But there was one thing that the movie shared with its lead protagonist. It’s called spirit. Even if we forget (and forgive) the exotic portrayal of the natives, poverty, porn, the cutting edge cinematographic techniques, the edgy screenplay; the one thing that shines through is the sheer universality of the story of the rise of an ordinary man through sheer grit.

Like the unforgettable scene of a young, filth-covered Jamal emerging from the shit pond for a piece of the star; the movie also marks the emergence of a new, more mature Danny Boyle. Make no mistake! His work would turn any film maker green. After all, he’d already tasted success with the frankly bizarre, drug-fuelled hallucination that goes by the name of Trainspotting. Based on Irvine Welsh’s book of the same name, the comedy/horror/ drama movie went to become the biggest UK hit, ever.

Boyle had also been recognized for the raw brilliance of Shallow Grave and 28 Days Later. But, it is Slumdog Millionaire that marked his arrival into the big league; making him the toast of the world. As far as the story goes, it’s based on a novel ‘Q&A’ by Vikas Swarup. It takes one deep into the teeming, urban nightmare of a slum in Mumbai.

Focus is on Jamal Malik, who’s experiencing the biggest day of his life. He is just seconds away from winning a staggering amount on ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’ But, the world being what it is; Jamal is arrested overnight on the suspicion of cheating. The question eating into everyone’s mind is - how a poor guy like him, could come up with answers to all the questions that would seem befuddling to geniuses.

Thus, begins a journey into the past of Jamal; where he peels away the different layers of reality that constitute his life. The story takes the viewers through the mindscape that’s India - lots of thrills, shady gangsters, prostitutes, beggars; and Mumbai at night, thrown into the mix. Apart from an adventure, the movie is, above all, a love story - love of a mother for her child, fraternal love; and of Jamal’s love for Latika. What emerges is a kaleidoscopic vision of reality at the lowest rung of the society; a Dickensian tale of poverty, hunger, pathos, and courage in the face of fire.

Set to some pulsating music by AR Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire is a perfect entertainer that will leave you wanting for more.