After creating waves abroad, Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire arrives in India, a kind of homecoming as the film's story is situated in the underbelly of Mumbai. It is a homecoming of sorts as well, as the masala content of the movie is not very different from what has been churned by the Hindi film industry, which incidentally, is also quite similar to the B&W era of films made in Hollywood too. There is a section in our country, which loves to decry anything made by a foreigner, which dares to depict the grime and squalor of India. But the reality of the matter is that the film is not peddling these. In the end, Slumdog Millionaire is not about the poverty or the seamy underbelly of Mumbai alone, it is to do with the human spirit. That, one feels, needs to be applauded. Just because, it has become the norm for the heroes of our Hindi films to always be portrayed as rich NRIs, business tycoons etc, doesn' mean that the other side of the picture should have no takers. If someone should want to wear blinkers and make movies which feed on that distorted reality of life, fair enough. But give the other a chance as well. And Boyle does that very well indeed in his movie.
One of the most brilliant things about this movie is the screenplay which has been executed by Simon Beaufoy. The manner in which he uses the ploy of the gameshow to showcase the story of Jamal, Salim and Latika is really praiseworthy. The screenplay is crisp, definitely inspired from Bollywood, and yet so innovative and energetic. The film has its dark moments but what it ultimately offers is hope, a rare commodity in our cynical times. So, if for nothing else, then the film is to be lauded for imparting that to its audiences.
The film hooks you in from the very beginning and one is drawn irresistibly into the love and life of Jamal and Latika (Freida Pinto) and the lost brother Salim (Madhur Mittal). The film's story begins with an 18 year old Jamal (Dev Patel) taking part in the Indian version of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' Coming from the mean streets of Mumbai, with literally no education, he is not expected to last long. But to everyone's surprise, most of all the host of the show, Prem (Anil Kapoor), he ends up reaching the final round of the quiz programme, where he is on the threshold of winning 20 million rupees. Serving coffee at a call centre, this young boy's journey to the final is something that Prem cannot handle. He is sure, just as the rest are, that the boy is cheating and even sets the police on him. It is in the investigation by the police inspector that Jamal's story unfolds. As he explains to the inspector how he came to know the answers, every aspect of his life tumbles out into the open.
The screenplay has been written so adroitly that each answer is intrinsically related to some aspect of Jamal's life and the life of Salim and Latika, his beloved. The story that unfolds of Jamal's childhood, is not very pleasant. But it has the ingredients of a potboiler with the archetypal good brother, bad brother, and the girl torn between the underworld and true love. Born into the worst of situations, these three children survive on their wits, as they negotiate their way into the world, with Latika and Salim being sucked into the vortex of the criminal underbelly of the city.
There is distinct Dickensian touch to the proceedings with a Fagin like character, played brilliantly by Ankur Vikal. But besides the streak of stark cruelty which runs through the film, there is also a strong streak of the resilient power of hope and love, brought out brilliantly by Jamal and Latika's love story. This love story adds yet another moving dimension to this epic tale of the 'slumdog.' Boyle's manages to infuse the film with a sort of contagious energy. He is brilliantly aided by some great camerawork (Anthony Dod Mantle) and editing (Chris Dickens), which convey the colour and drama of Mumbai's streets and its denizens. AR Rahman's eclectic musical score and the triumphant cry of 'Jai Ho' ensures that the film ends on a contagious high. As for the actors, Indian born Dev Patel excels in the role of Jamal. It is a very moving portrayal by the young actor. He is brilliantly supported by Freida Pinto as Latika. Our very own Anil Kapoor does his bit as the supercilious, snobbish game show host very well indeed. The other Indian actors in the film, like Irrfan Khan, Saurabh Shukla, Mahesh Manjrekar and Ankur Vikal are quite brilliant. One cannot end this paen to the actors of this film without talking about the actors who play the young Jamal (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar), Latika (Rubina Ali) and Salim (Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail), in their childhood. They are absolutely riveting. Bringing all of this together is Boyle, who ringmaster like, guides the protagonists of his film through all the ups and downs of the byelanes of life, to the final winning post. 'Jai Ho' to him as well for making such a riveting movie.