Bottom Line is that this movie is brilliant. Ok, I said it. Now let me elaborate. But I would want to ensure that I won’t give away the movie as I sincerely want the readers to watch it.
I was wrong when I thought that a love story cannot be attractive and appealing to me. Slumdog Millionaire did just that. A story that is close to an Arabian Nights tale with current affairs, brutal reality and pictures so real that you can feel the movie. Many thanks to Danny Boyle and his wonderful crew for this wonderful treat on the Christmas Eve..
There are several reasons why I liked the movie. Let me begin with the most obvious one. The movie takes place in Mumbai.. Aaamchi Mumbai!! The movie is shot in the extreme interiors of the city; by the big sewage pipes, slums, dhobi ghaat, filthy toilets, brothels, call centers, chowpati and last but not least by the C.S.T. railway station. However, there is not a single frame when I was ashamed at what I was seeing. The beautiful work of the cameraman and the smooth direction blends each shot perfectly to the need of the story.
The story is about a boy from slums in Mumbai who is on the Hot seat of “Who wants to become a Millionaire?” and is close to victory. Everyone is surprised at the knowledge of this uneducated chai wala to an extent that the cops interrogate him. The interrogation takes us through his life story. The story of his life reveals the secrets of the notorious city and also exposes how his practical experiences helped him answer the questions for the “Millionaire” show.
The movie touches topics that corrode the city to failure and also those that lift the city to success; from the lust of brothel to the love of bollywood, from the dirty gangster network that grows like a weed to communal riots that rottens the society, from the bone chilling reality of the child torture to thriving call centers. The movie throws at us the horrific facts of the dark side of the city and at the same time presents with the tickling humor of love for Bollywood. And all this has the central them of love.
The movie has 3 lead characters that meet at 3 different phases of life; childhood, teenage and adulthood. The brilliance of the author and director ensures that the story grips the audience and makes each character more truthful to the storyline. Excellent and perfect star cast makes the movie very solid. It seems that most actors were tailor made for the roles that they played. No overacting, no frivolous melodrama and certainly no over analysis of any topic however serious the topic might be. The story flows smoothly and works itself to the climax that has the flavor of anticipation. The audience will get involved in the movie and with the characters.
However, I must warn that few shots are graphic and troubling. “Slumdog Millionaire” is an offbeat movie but by no means can it be called a documentary or an art movie. It is as filmy as it should be; keeping in mind that the audience is international. I applaud the writer, director, cast and others linked to the book and the movie. I can predict this movie to go all the way to the Oscar nominations and give other nominees a fight for their money.
I am glad that I watched this movie. It is an English movie but I will categorize this more as a Hinglish movie or even as a Hindi movie directed by a Hollywood director. A.R. Rahman is as good as always and even the Hollywood director couldn't resist putting some catchy background scores.
Please note: Don’t leave the theater until after the credits at the end of the movie. That’s when earth meets the sky and Hollywood meets Bollywood.
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