Slumdog Millionaire Review

I read somewhere that some Mumbai-based movie critics are saying Danny Boyle has shown Mumbai as a gutter. I don’t know what those guys mean. If the shoot has taken place in Dharavi, how will it look clean? It’s not supposed to. My advice to the critics is to CLEAN IT if you can.

 

Let’s get to the movie now. I am going to review it as an Indian — foreigners seem awestruck by a few things that we see everyday and pass off as normal. Slumdog Millionaire is a story exactly as the title suggests – the tale of a slum dog who becomes a millionaire. The journey is what makes you believe in this piece of celluloid.

 

The movie is based on the novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup, directed by Danny Boyle and co-directed by the lesser-known Lovleen Tandon. Simon Beaufoy, the screen writer has woven the book nicely into an inspirational screenplay.

 

It all starts off with the protoagonist, Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), being interrogated by a cop (Irfan Khan). Jamal has been brought in for interrogation because the cops suspect him of cheating in a game show. Poverty being his major enemy and honesty his strength, Jamal manages to convince the cops that he is innocent and goes on to complete the show as a roll-over contestant.

 

The story is Jamal’s life’s journey, depicting his life in a slum, the death of his mother in Hindu-Muslim riots and how he and his brother as children are left to fend for themselves. They meet a girl, Latika, who has seen as hard a life and Jamal immediately falls for her. Child actors Ayush, Azharuddin and Rubiana have acted brilliantly. Hats off to the directors, they have managed to extract the impossible out of them.

 

 In a few years, due to unfavourable circumstances, Jamal ventures out alone into the dark and unforgiving city that is Mumbai. His mission is to find his love, Latika who gets separated from him in the prime of his childhood full on hindi film style (running behind a train)

 

Working as a chaiwalla in a call centre he manages to get through as a contestant in the Indian version of Who wants to be a Millionaire. He is ecstatic as he knows his love Latika (Freida Pinto)  watches the show. He manages to answer all the questions as they are related to his life at some point or the other. Anil Kapoor has played the quiz master. He doesn’t have much of a role but whatever little he has done, is done well. In the end as a masala Hindi movie goes, Jamal meets Latika and everybody goes home happy. (and dancing – literally)

 

AR Rehman’s music is the best thing about the movie. The soundtrack is better than most Hollywood films of late. After all, he was nominated along with Hans Zimmer and managed to beat him to win the Golden Globe award.

 

I don’t think this is Danny Boyle’s best film, though. Trainspotting cannot be compared to this movie. I don’t think he has shown poverty to get mileage. Lovleen Tandon and Danny Boyle deserve a pat on the back for doing such good work, and I think they will get more awards too. The film has appealed to the audience and the jury members to no end. I’m not surprised. The Indian film makers should take a clue from the movie about what the international audience likes. We cannot keep sending movies with eight songs in them and expect awards.

 

If I am not mistaken, Amitabh Bachhan issued a statement saying that had it been an Indian director, the film wouldn’t have done this well. I agree with him completely, not because Danny Boyle got preference being a Britisher, but because no Indian director is capable of taking the risk of keeping a film clean without unnecessary songs and dances. 

 

If you notice I have written this review not in a straight script format (if you know what I mean – I mean all over the place). That’s exactly how the films screenplay goes. Overall the film is good ( not the best ever as critics have said across the world). It’s entertainment guaranteed. But it will surely make you think off and on whether it deserves all it has already got. I mean awards.

 

RishiO Review Meter – 3.9/5