When I first saw the name “Slumdog Millionaire” I thought it was some kind of Rap movie and ignored it until I heard the buzz even before the movie was released, and without the slightest hint of what the movie was all about, I rushed to the theatre to watch it on Christmas day. Believe me, people…this is one of the best movie I have seen all year!
It is a fantastic concept…a little hard to believe in real-life situations…but a great way to narrate a story. Director Danny Boyle has done a fantastic job in directing this movie and FOX Searchlight pictures and Warner Bros are distributing. A.R. Rehman provides the score!
Jamal Malik (Dev Patel as the Adult Jamal and Ayush Khedekar as the youngest Jamal), a poor and illiterate slum-dweller (“slumdog”) is a contestant on the hit Indian version of “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” TV show in Mumbai and to everyone’s surprise answers almost all the questions on the show leading to him being arrested on the charges of cheating on the show. Under severe interrogation by the police it is revealed that he knows all the answers through his harsh and terrible growing experiences in his life.
It’s an amazing portrayal of the harsh side of Mumbai that many people are not aware. Experiences that will shock and amaze you. The show and Jamal’s life have been so closely knit together that it is just a pleasure to see his entire life unravel in front of your eyes, from his early years in the slum to the religious riots that destroy his family and the love of his life that he longs to be with. An amazing performance by ALL the actors including Dev Patel, Madhur Mittal (as Jamal’s older brother Salim), Frieda Pinto (as Jamal’s love interest), Anil Kapoor (as the host of the show) and Irfan Khan (as the interrogating police officer.)
Go and Watch it whichever way you prefer it….Big Screen, DVD, VHS (ha ha….who has those any more?), Download (don’t pirate it please….pay for it!!)
My Rating: 4.5 stars (Rated: R, Running time: 2 hours)
Genre: Drama
