Slumdog Millionaire - Essay Example

Slumdog Millionaire Slumdog Millionaire is one of the biggest hits of the year 2008. It is an entertainment packed, twisted plot of a boy named Jamal. The story revolves around Jamal and his elder brother Salim, who belong to the slums of Mumbai. “In Mumbai, more than half the city’s population of 18 million lives in the slums” (Icon Group International, Inc, 2008, p.6). The movie brings out the childhood of a person living in the slums and the challenges he faces throughout his life. Living in the slums these boys face many challenges from being chased by cops for playing on private land to being beaten up by their school teacher, losing their mother in communal rights, working as children, and being a part of the exploitive mafia. Destiny shows them many different colors of life. Winner of four Golden Globe awards, eight Oscars and many more awards like the Baftas, Sulmdog Millionaire is not just a critically acclaimed film, but also a hardcore entertainer. Jamal, the prime character of Slumdog Millionaire, is an attentive child who notices and remembers things. As a matter of destiny or luck, or just a sheer coincidence Jamal gets to participate in Who Wants to be a Millionaire. He goes to the show, so he can send a message to his long lost love, as he knows she watches the show. A boy, who did not complete school, comes from the slums of Mumbai, and working as a helper in a call centre, is on the verge of winning millions. When the game starts Jamal finds it difficult to ask a simple question, and takes the help of the audience. However, as the games progresses Jamal turns the tables. He answers questions that are impossible to answer even for an educated individual from a good household. It is unbelievable to see a slumdog progress so well in the game, reaching levels that no one reached until then. Jamal has one question to go when the game ends for the day. The organizers of the show are sure that Jamal is cheating, so they send him to the police. On being tortured and questioned Jamal reveals details of how he knows the answers to the questions. It turns out that all the answers were hidden in the life that Jamal has led; different events in his life give him the answers. He goes back to the game innocent, to answer the last question and win the game and reunites with his love Latika. The movie has an interesting plot and reveals a lot about the diverse Indian lifestyles. Director Danny Boyle does a good job in capturing the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of the slums in Mumbai. Boyle is successful in making each scene very real, from capturing a short-lived moment of happiness to the pain and struggle of poverty and homelessness. The director has been successful in making you feel for the characters of the story. He has brought out the beauty of India, whether it’s the Taj Mahal or the slums of Mumbai, or the Indian trains or even the community toilets of the urban Indian slum. Apart from the scenes Boyle has brought out the best in the cast, whether it’s Anil Kapoor, from Indian mainstream cinema or Dev Patel, or the children who come from the Indian slums. The cast of the movie includes actors from mainstream Indian cinema, like Anil Kapoor and Irfan Khan, Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto, and Azharuddin, who plays the role of the child Salim from the slums of Mumbai. All the actors in the movie have given it their best shot. Though the cast involves actors coming from various areas and lifestyles, they all have contributed their best and given the film critical acclaim. The child actors bring out true colors of life in the slums. The expressions, the speech, the style, and the emotion used by the actors are very authentic and captivating. The performance by all the actors has been excellent and they have given their roles a touch of reality. Every actor from the film has contributed to the excellence of the movie with their performances. Another aspect of the movie that has received a lot of global recognition and applauds is the background score and the music of the movie. The music director A.R. Rehman has won many awards including two Oscars for the contribution to the movie’s music. “A.R. Rehman has been the most influential and prolific Indian film composer since the 1990s” (Benegal and Heide, 2006, p. 192). The music of the film is not just entertaining but also versatile. The numbers are raunchy and can be heard over and over again. The most famous track from the film, ‘Jai Ho’ boasts of an amazing mix of rhythm and melody. The background score not only keeps the audience enthralled to their seats but also keeps the helps in keeping up the pace of the film with the energy it brings. With a big orchestra it’s the kind of music that has to be heard loud with the right effects. Apart from the music direction of A.R. Rehman, the singers have added to the spice of the album, making it catchy and entertaining, whether it a raunchy number like ‘Ringa Ringa’ or the famous ‘Jai Ho,’ the music of this film has been one of its biggest successes. The most interesting aspect of the movie without which Slumdog Millionaire would not be what it is, is of course its story. Revealing the life of a child who comes from a slum, his commitment to his love, and his success and confidence, the story is the most interesting part of the movie, which has given it international recognition. The life of people in poor countries has always been captivating and interesting to the international audience. Slumdog Millionaire brings out the reality of life in India, whether it’s living in the slums, or being the host of a big show, or getting involved in mafia, or even being brutally used by people. On the whole the movie is entertaining, captivating, fast paced, and gives the audience a piece of reality with every scene. The director of the film, Danny Boyle has made a vibrant film with both beautiful and strange sights. The actors bring all the characters to life giving the movie a sense of reality. The music of the movie play a great role in keeping the audience glued to their seats. SLumdog Millionaire has many more aspects to its success, which make the movie deserving of all the praise. “Slumdog Millionaire is still one of the better films of 2008” (The Critical Critic, December 30 2008, para 5) Reference List Benegal, Shyam and Heide, William Van der, 2006. Bollywood Babylon: Interviews with Shyam Benegal. Berg Publishers. Icon Group International, Inc., 2008. Mumbai: Webster’s Facts and Phrases. Published by ICON Group International, Inc. The Critical Critic, 2008. The Critical Critic. http://thecriticalcritics.com/review/2008/12/30/movie_review-slumdog_millionaire.html Read More