Amygdalia's Blog

Movie Review Monday - Slumdog Millionaire

It is written.

This film is a heart-wrenching view of the life of a street child in the slums of Mumbai.  The story centers around a Jamal Malik, a young man who has won millions of rupees on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.  Suspecting that a chai-walla, an orphan from the streets, could only have achieved this success via cheating, he is dragged to the police station for interrogation.  There he tells the story of his life, through flashbacks that illustrate how he learned the answers to each of the game show questions.  This is not the heartwarming feel-good film that the ads portray; it is extremely difficult to watch at times.  Nonetheless, it is powerful and magnificent.

Dev Patel is brilliant as Jamal Malik, playing the role with seriousness and passion. 

While the film has received critical acclaim from many, it has also been the object of criticism, particularly by those who feel it portrays too harsh a picture of India’s poor.  Interestingly, among those critical of the film’s harsh portrayal is Amitabh Bachchan, one of Bollywood’s biggest film stars, who appears in the film through photographs and old film footage. 

This is not typical Bollywood, folks.  In fact, when we went to see it, a couple of people walked out of the theater during a particularly tough scene.

Though you will be treated to a great song and dance number if you stay through to see the credits. 


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