Already the winner of four Golden Globe Awards and nominated in eleven categories for the forthcoming BAFTA award ceremonies the delightful British film, Slumdog Millionaire, has taken the movie world by storm. The simple story revolves around an 18 year old orphan Jamil Malik, played by Dev Patel, who lived in the slums of Mumbai (Bombay) and is having an amazing streak in answering correctly the questions in the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”.
The tension is reaching breaking point as Jamal is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees, the big prize! However, some, including those associated with the game show, question how someone like Jamal, with poor education and a background of growing up in the slums, can be doing so well on the show when others who are brighter, more educated and wealthier than him have failed. Is Jamal cheating? At the completion of the evening’s performance Jamal is arrested by the police on suspicious of cheating, no one believes a street urchin like him could know so much. The story continues and as each chapter unfolds it becomes clear how Jamil learned the answers to each of the show’s questions. A gang culture plays a part in the movie and naturally there is a romantic element to this delightful screenplay.
Slumdog Millionaire, a British film made on location in India, is directed by Danny Boyle, has already grossed $37 million and in addition to the BAFTAS, is expected to pick up a number of “Oscars” at the forthcoming 81st Academy Awards ceremony to take place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday February 22nd 2009.
I saw Slumdog Millionaire today. Boyle has really done a good job with this movie. While the movie deals with the gory details of the underbelly of Mumbai, it doesnt really leave you with a sick feeling. The story feels like a commentary and at the end you just feel good about the whole movie. Very well done I must say.
The music score by Rehman is amazing, the actors who played junior Jamal and Salim were the real stars. They were simply too good. Freida Pinto had just 15 mins of screen presence. I think she was overhyped.