Everyday at traffic lights, beaming bazaars and urban slums in India, scores of urchins like Jamal Malik cross our eyes. But seldom does one try to get behind the life of a slumdog or his aspirations.
But Danny Boyle
, Hollywood director, and maker of flicks like Trainspotting, Sunshine and The Beach did just that. And Slumdog Millionaire won four Golden Globes and 10 Oscar nominations for that.
SlumD is the story of a wannabe millionaire. It's the story of the love life of an underdog, an orphaned beggar. And it's also the story of the scathing poverty and hunger that prevails in the urban slums in India, in this case Dharavi, the largest slum colony in Asia.
Jamal and Salim, are two brothers living in a Mumbai slum, when an anti-Muslim riot breaks out. Their mother is bludgeoned by the rioteers, leaving the two kids to fend for themselves. The metro city's garbage dumps becomes their living ground, also their livelihood. Till one day they are spotted by a beggary racketeer.
They move in his dwelling. But shortly flee from it, on discovering that kids are blinded to make them more suitable to beggary.
They flee to Agra, and start living a comfortable lifestyle, posing as guides, conning foreign tourists visiting The Taj Mahal, for their top dollar.
The director tries to incorporate each and every mileu of the wonder that is India, in the film - The harsh life of a slum orphan. The familiar site of corrupt Indian policeman scrubbing his pot bellies. The pseudo-American lives of call centre workers. The traffic. The underworld. The prostitutes. The Gods and religious riots. The Bollywood. The revolution of cable TV and mobile phone. And alongwith it the dreams of aspiring one billion Indians.The film breaks open with the famous reality TV show - Who wants to be a millionaire? And the contestant is none other than Jamal Malik, who has graduated to become a tea vendor in a call centre.
Quizzing him in the hot seat is Anil Kapoor, the show host. Kapoor gives a brilliant performance in the film, even surpassing the real host Amitabh Bachchan of the show Kaun Banega Crorepati?
The movie, thereafter pans between the show, a police station and Jamal's life. In the cast are Freida Pinto, Mumbai based model known for her De Beers and Skoda ads. Pinto is cast as Latika, another orphan and love life of Dev Patel aka Jamal Malik, the slumdog protagonist.
As an 18-year old actor and ex-world Taekwando champion, British born Patel gives a gripping performance, the heart of the film.
Simon Beaufoy beautifully adapts Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's novel Q&A on the screen. While co-director Lavleen Tandan, fills the dialogues with choicest Hindi words to give a real life colour.
Overall, Slumdog Millionaire is a brilliant and entertaining portrayal of a urban slum urchin, who is on the way to bag a jackpot in the TV show.
Considering the fact that over 250 million in India still live below poverty line, the film also gives a shots of urban Indian slum life, which is especially appealing to western audiences. Made with a budget of just $15 million, not even half of Bollywood blockbusters, SlumD, succeeds in strongly conveying its message - no dream is too big.
Source: Economictimes
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