Slumdog Millionaire

2008's Slumdog Millionaire was an excellent film that provided a huge reality check for the United States. The article From Slumdog to Top Dog read "Being a hit in North America doesn't guarantee the same reaction in India." At first, I could not believe how the people of India would not be proud of this film, but then as I continued to read I understood their views much better. The article quoted Shikha Goyal, a public relations executive, saying "You can't live in Mumbai without seeing children begging at traffic lights and passing by slums on your way to work." He continued to say, "But I don't want to be reminded of that on a Saturday evening." Therefore, I understand why some people in India did not appreciate the movie very much. On the other hand, this movie showed Americans what it is like for millions of people in India. I had no idea how bad it was, and to see young children dealing with the horrible conditions was unbelievable!

The article also explained that director Danny Boyle could have chosen English speakers to play the slum children but he wanted the "real thing." Boyle said "We'd been working in the slums, and we'd ask local people, 'Would you play this part?' 'No problem,' they'd say. Then, the local people that were asked to participate questioned whether they should do their "Amitabh" look or "Shah Rukh Khan" look. Boyle responded "No, do your own look." I am glad Boyle had this attitude because it made the movie very realistic.

The beginning of Slumdog Millionaire was an eye opener of what the poverty of India is like. We see that when young Jamal Malik (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar) and his brother young Salim (Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail) were late for school and beaten with The Three Musketeers book that was being read in class by their teacher. In the United States, teachers can barely touch a child without a report being filed. We also see Jamal going to the bathroom in an out house. I was saddened to see the conditions in which a child has to use the bathroom. Once Jamal heard talk of his hero Amitabh Bachchan arriving he became very excited but then realized he was locked in by his brother. We quickly realize how much this means to Jamal as he takes out the picture of his hero and jumps through the hole into the pile of excrement.

I felt that the storyline for Slumdog Millionaire was incredible. When I heard about this movie it seemed obvious to me that a low income 18 year old was just trying to get out of poverty by winning some money on the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" However, we eventually find out in the movie that Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) is making himself public hoping for his lost love, Latika (Freida Pinto), to see him on TV.

I really liked how this film went back and forth with the police questioning Jamal and the flashbacks of his life and the show itself. Right away, I thought that Jamal had won the million already and was being questioned on how he did it. We later see that this questioning occurred before his final appearance on the show with the million dollar prize on the line, and because the host thought that Jamal had to be treating. The police were brutal as they were trying to get Jamal to speak up, but the fact was, he was telling the truth. Jamal had to relive his horrible past through answering questions he'd rather not have to think about.

The politics and religion of India are very complex and difficult for many Americans to understand. The movie, in its early scenes tells us a lot about not only the poverty of India, but the religious conflict between Hindus and Muslims along with the corruption and crime in the slums. The re-enactment of a time when Hindus attacked a Muslim neighborhood shows us how Jamal's mother was brutally killed. Jamal and his brother witnessed other horrible deaths during that attack, which left them orphans.

As the article Coke, Benz avoid gritty 'Slumdog' roles points out, not everyone is comfortable with these images of poverty and despair. Both Coca-Cola and Mercedes-Benz refused to allow their brands to be shown in "slum" scenes. However, Mercedes-Benz had no problem with its image in the more upscale neighborhood scene. I don't believe these companies reacted in this way because they refused to accept that poverty exists in India, but it was a cold marketing decision on their part. Now with the great success of the film, perhaps companies may learn to take a better look at these opportunities.

Mumbai's extreme poverty is shown in gritty detail throughout Slumdog Millionaire with effective close-ups of the characters revealing the strong emotions running through the movie. From Jamal's blank stare when taking questions from the game show host to the look of horror on his brother Salim watching as another orphan's eyes are destroyed to make him a better begger, not much is left to our imagination. The fast paced action combined with the pulsating Indian music kept me on the edge of my seat through a lot of the movie. I understand that these are classic examples of "Bollywood" films.

At the time I was watching the Academy Awards, I was suprised how well Slumdog Millionaire did. However, after watching the film I was not suprised at all with its eight Oscars. I enjoyed the movie because of its great story and acting, but also because it taught me so much about another culture.