When you watch Danny Boyle’s latest rags-to-riches fairy tale “Slumdog Millionaire”, you will experience an emotional roller coaster that only Mumbai can offer. The city that never sleeps, the city that is the center of the world (as Salim mentions in the film), the city with an economic and social contrast ratio of 20,000,000:1 is gradually revealed on the screen in all its color and darkness. . Danny Boyle and his screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (based on the novel Questions and Answers by Vikas Swarup) have masterfully crafted the film using the Indian version of the TV show ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’
Many international filmmakers like Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay) and Roland Joffe (City of Joy) among others have explored Indian slums and street life, but Slumdog brings to life both the dark and bright sides of the city of Mumbai. in a style that is shocking and moving at the same time.
The story of Jamal, an uneducated “chai-wallah” (tea seller) in a modern high-tech call center who is about to win the coveted prize of two crore (twenty crore) rupees, is indeed a fairy tale. It’s so unbelievable that the show’s host (Anil Kapoor) gets him arrested to find out how this guy can cheat to find the right answers. Fortunately for Jamal, the answers to the questions come from his life experiences and not from any book, the vivid memories of his life in the slums and streets of Mumbai, his struggle for existence together with his brother Salim at the foot of the Tajmahal, and finally in his search for the love of his life – Latika! Ironically, the final question comes from the book “Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas, which he and his brother had begun reading during their limited encounter with the school. He calls his “Life Line”: his and Latika’s brother, but they don’t answer either. Therefore, Jamal surrenders to fate and once again risks his life in front of millions of viewers.
The performances of all the main characters were sincere and spontaneous, especially the performance of the children in the first half of the film. AR Rahman’s music has helped heighten the emotions and the final song and dance scene during the credits was a delight.
The film, while extremely enjoyable, has gone overboard at times and simplified many of the complex themes. The film contains some strong images, some quite disturbing and some very moving. Special kudos to cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle for the beautiful cinematography and editor Chris Dickens for keeping the film’s breakneck pace keeping audiences on the edge of their seats.