Review: "Slumdog Millionaire"

At the 2009 Golden Globe Awards, the Best Film award went to, not an American/Hollywood movie, but an Indian one that was made by British. And deservedly so. "Slumdog Millionaire" is the kind of heartwarming movie that the average moviegoer would not think about watching at first, but after watching it, would wonder why he didn't want to watch it in the first place.

As the name and poster imply, "Slumdog Millionaire" is about a kid from the Indian slums who plays the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" At first, you think it's for fame and fortune, but later realise that it's for something simpler. I won't spoil that revelation here; suffice to say that what the published movie reviews say barely scratch the protagonist's true reason.

Even if you ignored the whole "Millionaire" part of the story, you would still be able to appreciate the painful life of living in the underbelly. The slums depicted here could be from any part of the world, making the personalities and situations appear very familiar. Thus, you wouldn't need to understand Indian society specifically to appreciate the grim lives that these so-called "slumdogs" have to endure. And that, I think, makes this film approachable to anyone who is willing to watch it with an open mind.

What I really enjoyed about this movie was how Jamal, the protagonist, explained how he knew all of the answers in the game show. You know what they say about learning from the streets? That's what happened here. Imagine knowing that the inventor of the revolver was Samuel Colt because someone referred to a gun as a Colt 45.

Of course, there were some bits that were difficult to watch. Okay, I'll spoil one scene here: a boy jumped into shit... literally. (He did so to escape the locked toilet and be able to meet his favourite actor.)

Jamal seemed to be blessed with a wonderfully photographic memory, so that he could remember everything that he had ever seen in his life, including a childhood glimpse of a boy dressed as a Hindu god. While that may seem too incredible to be true, I think that it's entirely believable. I've read too many real life accounts of intelligent people who, unfortunately, weren't born into more fortunate environments.

Then there's Jamal's opposite, his older brother, Salim. He was the quintessential "butthead". There were many times when I wished Jamal would just blow his brains out. While Salim had a few redeeming moments, these weren't enough to make me feel like he had been written in a one-sided manner.

Finally, there's Latika, the girl for whom Jamal appeared in the "Millionaire" game show. Like Jamal, she's another tortured soul, though because she's female, her torture is of another sort. Still, it was quite heartening to see how she (and Jamal) were able to rise above her troubles.

At the end, this is what the film is all about: succeeding against all odds. Sure, it may take place only in celluloid form, but I'd like to think that it gives hope to all that there is indeed a bright light of triumph at the end of the long, dank tunnel.

Oh, and if you think that this British film wasn't Indian enough, then you need to watch the credits!

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