SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

"What does it take to find love?"

Jamal (Patel) is the first Indian contestant to make it through to the final question on the country's most popular game show 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' but as he is about to answer the question that could win him 20 million rupees, he is arrested on charges of cheating. As the Police Inspector interrogates him however, he discovers that behind every answer in the quiz is a reason him knowing what it is and that is could be actually fate that is drawing Jamal to the big prize but is not money that he wants it to find the girl he lost on the streets of Mumbai.

Once in a while a film comes along that makes you remember why you started loving movies in the first place and 'Slumdog Millionaire' is one of those films.

British director Danny Boyle is one of the most diverse filmmakers working in cinema today. Whether it be horror (28 Days Later), science fiction (Sunshine), comedy (A Life Less Ordinary), drama (The Beach), family fun (Millions) or drug dramas (Trainspotting), Danny Boyle never sticks to the same genre, making him impossible to pigeonhole. For 'Slumdog Millionaire' he mixes drama, romance and a little pinch of Bollywood.

Based on the novel by Vikas Swarup, 'Slumdog Millionaire' tells the story of Jamal, the first Indian contestant to make it through to the last question on the country's most watched TV quiz show 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' and is in with a chance of winning twenty million rupees. The problem is that host thinks that no boy from the slums of Mumbai could possibly answer as many questions as he has, so he has him arrested. During the interrogation, the police inspector discovers that each answer has a story behind it and that he isn't on the show for the money but to find the girl he has loved for most of his life. This premise leads to stories that are hilarious, touching, emotional, violent, heartbreaking and joyous and these make 'Slumdog Millionaire' a real roller coaster of emotions but one that will lead to a conclusion that will melt even the coldest heart.

With a story this heart warming, you need a cast to be able to tell both the modern story and the flashbacks that answer the questions. This means that you need multiple actors to play the key roles. Playing Jamal are Ayush Mahesh Khedekar as the youngest, Tanay Chheda as the eleven or twelve year old and Dev Patel as the grown up version who appears on the game show. Rubiana Ali, Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar and the beautiful Freida Pinto all play Latika and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala and Madhur Mittal play Jamal's brother Salim. The three musketeers, as the film likes to call them and they are the heartbeat of the stories, giving them their own emotional resonance. The rest of the cast also have their part to play but this is the story of the two boys and the girl that came between them.

Beautifully shot, wonderfully played and with a story that crosses the cultural divide, 'Slumdog Millionaire' is a gem of a movie. Danny Boyle proves again that he can excel in any genre and this is probably his best movie to date. This is simply an astonishing movie and one that will become a firm favourite for many years to come and a classic in the making.

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Millions

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2009