SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008): Indiaspotting
May 11th 2009 13:11
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Love it or hate it, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” it is – with all its sweat and tacky gore, adding an irresistible element of suspense and mcfamiliarity to an otherwise exotic reality for mainstream Western eyes. The catchy and timeless story was based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's debut novel Q and A, written in England over 2 months to kill time while wrapping up his official post: “I'm not one of those writers who wants to spend four pages describing a sunrise. There are so many of them in India. I'm a sucker for thrillers and I wanted to write one. I'm much more influenced by Alastair MacLean and James Hadley Chase. I'm no Arundhati Roy.” Boyle’s cinematic adaptation seems to share these sensibilities, and is strangely reminiscent of the visceral imagery and favela themes of City of God (2002) and the magic realism of Emir Kusturica’s Time of the Gypsies (1988), combined to form an emotionally affecting tale, which effectively draws the viewer into its characters’ world.
The charming Ayush Mahesh Khedekar as little Jamal before he gets into big trouble in Slumdog Millionaire
While the film’s quizshow premise is rather tenuous, Boyle’s unapologetic, vibrant direction focuses on the wider tapestry and contrasts of modern Indian life in their glorious detail. The film is confrontational, as to be expected of Boyle, in its unswerving and uncompromised portrayal of the country, somehow absent from Bollywood fare. Religious turmoil, caste conflicts, rampant exploitation, child slave-labour including prostitution, maiming and torture, is interspersed with flashes of humour, like making fun of the gullibility of Western tourists alongside chuckling at the Indian propensity to set up shop on the spot, selling whatever can be sold to get by – as the young brothers do at the Taj Mahal, offering their very unofficial guide services right next to the official ones, unnoticed in the surrounding chaos.
Love conquers all: Dev Patel and Freida Pinto in Slumdog Millionaire
Oscar Wilde once said that “we’re all in the gutter, but some of us are looking up at the stars.” Jamal chooses Latika as his guiding star and his tireless pursuit of love becomes a focused ray of light in a world so smelly, corrupt, and cruel, that it drives his brother to consciously choose a ‘survival of the fittest’ path, leading him to become a rising star of the criminal underbelly. Does one’s birth predetermine and limit fate? Do we have any control over our circumstances, or has it all already been written? Jamal’s story is an attempt to filter the culturally rich, complex and diverse spice-mix that is India into an essential oil, including as its basis the elusive ingredient of spiritual enquiry, which has met with Deepak Chopra’s approval (he wrote a review, funnily enough focused on…politics). A tale of two brothers, Slumdog Millionaire can be philosophically interpreted as a portrayal of two widely divergent sets of values and attitudes towards life, epitomised by a long list of dual opposites: optimism vs. cynicism, vulnerability vs. violence, faith vs. religion, love vs. money - all ultimately meeting on the far off common ground of redemption. While this vision may appear simplistic, it allows for shades of gray, emphasizing the importance of individual choice and hinting at the underlying mystery of the human existential predicament.
A: Like a fairytale, Slumdog Millionaire ultimately espouses a hopeful, childlike belief in the miraculous power of love to overcome insurmountable obstacles life presents us with, a message ever popular as evidenced by worldwide box office success and dozens of awards, including 3 Golden Globes, 7 BAFTA’s and 8 Oscars.
Review by Patricia Bieszk
© Copyright P. Bieszk 2009
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Comment by Mau-Medellin
Mau-Medellin
I really loved this movie. I only just saw it the other day actually, and I can watch it again and again!!
Freida Pinto is simply gorgeous, and I love the bollywood dancing during the closing credits.
Mau-Medellin
Comment by Anonymous
Although AR Rehman got 2 oscars for the movie, he has created a lot of good music, some of it better than slumdog's.
The acting of all the actors was good but overall the movie was not what it was hyped to be.