|
There are movies about reality
shows and TV shows - here in Sri Lanka such a movie is playing in
theaters right now. Then there’s Slumdog Millionaire, based on the
Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, that has earned US$ 98
million at the US box office alone and earned eight Oscar awards,
including Best Picture.
  Directed
by Britisher Danny Boyle, with upbeat music by A.R. Rahman (Oscar winner
for music), Slumdog is the unlikely story of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an
18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience
the biggest day of his life.
With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from
winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s version of “Who Wants
To Be A Millionaire?”. But when the show breaks for the night, police
arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so
much?
Jamal is bundled through the back door of the television studio,
whisked to the nearest police station and beaten to a pulp by corrupt
and jealous cops who want to know how he cheated. This is where the film
actually begins.
Even amidst scenes of poverty and brutality, Boyle injects love and
laughter into his film. It is revealed that Jamal enters the show to win
the heart of the girl (Latika) he loves - she is apparently a fan of the
show, hosted in the film by seasoned actor Anil Kapoor.
Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life
in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures
together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs and of
Latika.
In a directing masterstroke, Boyle lets each chapter of his story
reveal the key to the answer to one of the game show’s questions.
Intrigued by Jamal’s story, the Police Inspector begins to wonder what a
young man with no apparent desire for riches is really doing on this
game show.
The film, shot almost entirely on location in Mumbai, has earlier won
rave reviews. Many people played their real lives on screen, adding to
the reality. Half the film is in Hindi, with subtitles, but the story is
so simple and powerful that you can understand it even without them.
Boston Globe’s Ty Burr said: “”I’ll keep this simple: Cancel whatever
you’re doing tonight and go see Slumdog Millionaire instead.”
Chicago Sun-Times’ Roger Ebert said “This is a breathless, exciting
story, heartbreaking and exhilarating at the same time...”
Not many know that the film is actually based on a book - on Vikas
Swarup’s best selling novel, Q&A. It was adapted for the screen by Full
Monty scriptwriter Simon Beaufoy. Anthony Dod Mantle’s cinematography is
simply stunning. Slumdog is a visual, aural and cerebral treat that
should not be missed.
- Pramod
|
