Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire DVD

Slumdog Millionaire (classification MA 15+) is a 2008 British drama film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. The film also stars  Dev Tandan - Jamal, Saurabh Shukha - Sergeant Srinivas, Anil Kapoor - Prem and Freida Pinto - Latika.

Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai is just one question away from winning 20 million rupees on India's equivalent to who wants to be a millionaire. The show breaks for the evening during which time Malik is arrested under suspicion of cheating. How could a young man who grew up in the slums of Mumbai as an orphan know the answers to the extremely complex questions being asked on the show?

To prove his innocence, Malik tells the story of his life growing up in the slums with his brother, their vicious encounters with local gangs, adventures together on the road and the girl he loved and lost; Latika. Each part of Mailk's story reveals the truth about how he can answer each one of the game-shows seemingly impossible questions.

Each of Malik's stories tell a tale of poverty, love, desperation and hope while providing an insight into the life of the lower class in India. It shows how poverty affects certain groups of people and how (as unlikely of an event it would be) a person came from complete poverty and prejudice to the top of the social class. The central themes of the movie is a mix of prejudice, desperation, poverty and love.

A sleeper hit, Slumdog Millionaire was universally acclaimed, being praised for its plot, soundtrack, cinematorgraphy and editing, In addition, it was mominated for 10 Academy Awards in 2009, winning eight, the most for any film of 2008, including Best picture, Best director and Best adapted screenplay. It also won seven BAFTA awards (including best film) five critics Choice Awards and four Golden Globes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would describe it as "The feel-good film of the decade". The movie demonstrates a common 'rags to riches' theme which viewers can empathise with while also incorporating a storyline that takes the audience from the worst slums in Mumbai to some of the most beautiful locations on earth. I would recommend Slumdog Millionaire for young adults to mature age viewers.