Slumdog Millionaire - A Personal Report

Some people I know are still confused whether the movie, Slumdog Millionaire is a Hollywood or a Bollywood production. For once and for all, it's not a Bollywood production. So you can relax, and to be sure, it's not a Hollywood production either. The movie was directed by a British, Danny Boyle and produced by a British production company with mainly British Indian actors. Sadly, I dont know what the equivalent of Bollywood/Hollywood of England is.... perhaps, Lollywood?! If I ever find out, I will share of course. But the point is, Slumdog Millionaire is a mainstream English movie based in India with Indian characters. That being said, please try not to dismiss the movie as another shoddy attempt by Bolloywood to infiltrate Hollywood.

I watched Slumdog Millionaire about 2 weekends ago at AMC. It wasn't running at my regular go-to theatre Cineplex Morningside, which made me a bit hesitant at first. Was it worth the extra $5 I paid at AMC? Sure why not. For those that don't know the story yet, Slumdog Millionaire is about an Indian boy, Jamal Malik, who grows up in the slums of Mumbai, and one day gets the rare 'once in a lifetime' chance to be a contestant on India's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. The movie unfolds in flashbacks narrated by Jamal, from his childhood days in the slums with his brother, Salim, to him being brutally interrogated by police on the suspicion that he has been cheating on the show.

From the opening frame until the end, the movie had my interest captured majority of the time. What I enjoyed most about the movie was the realistic portrayal of life in India, specifically the slums of Mumbai. As horrible, and tragic some of the events of the movie were, that's India for you. Apparently, Amithabh Bachan had an outcry about India being portrayed in a deplorable manner and asked fellow Indians to boycott this movie. Someone should tell Mr. Bachan that not every story can be written so that characters are lugged off to foreign locales to sing and dance around trees. Having been to India and seen it's grimy conditions first hand, Danny Boyle has it down to a tee. The only reason the movie was able to reach out to millions of audiences was due to its realism and the powerful performances of the children.

The first half of the movie was my favourite. It tells the life of Jamal as a six year old living in dire conditions amid the stench of garbage and over flown sewers of the slums. Yet, (and this is what's incredible about the movie) dramatic emotions of humor and anguish are interlaced to create moments that will linger on your heart long after the movie ends. For instance, the scene where young Malik is determined to get the signature of a famous artist brings the house down with laughter! The young boys that play Jamal at age six, and then at 11 have given excellent performances. Actually, it would be wrong to call it performances, as this was their very reality. Danny Boyle chose children from the real slums of Mumbai to play the characters. Which in essence gives the movie it's undeniable realistic portrayal.

To sum things up, I would recommend Slumdog Millionaire to YOU! It may expose you to the many horrid facets of India, but essentially ends with hope, and a fairy-tale ending euphoria.