Slumdog Millionaire...

[fajrdrako]

maaseru and I went today to see Slumdog Millionaire. We weren't the only people who felt like a movie at Christmas: the theatre was full.

The movie is Oliver Twist set in Mumbai. The frame story is of Jamal's brutal interrogation by the police: he's a contestant on a game show, and winning piles of money. Because he's a kid from the slum, they think he must be cheating somehow. But he isn't. Question by question, he tells them the story of how he knows each other answers to each of the questions, covering his background as a homeless orphan with his brother Salim and their friend Latika. The story builds on itself rather beautifully, and events gain meaning as we see how they build together. The feel-good ending is such a payoff it sort of makes up for all the grim suffering, torture, and brutality Jamal lives through.

What I most loved was Jamal's honesty. Terrible things happen to Jamal, but he keeps his sense of honour. Even when given a clear chance to cheat on the quiz show, to win his twenty million rupees¹, we know he won't do it. It's great to have such faith in a hero.

Did I enjoy it? On the whole, yes, though much of it was a little too grim and some of it was a little too long. The happy ending was a great relief, but even better was the way things fit together - the way Jamal's last quiz question had so much significance for his past and future.

Jamal's job at a computer call agency is to deliver tea to the people working there. Several times they make reference to his job as chai-wallah - which in English they call 'tea-boy'. Of course this made me think of Ianto Jones, and smile.

~ ~ ~

¹ I looked it up, afterwards: twenty million rupees is about $514,000 Cdn.

Comments

[liliaeth]

I watched that movie yesterday, and I loved it. I really liked the music in it as well.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, the music was terrific. I liked the background, too. I've seen a lot of movies set in New York or Chicago (even if they're filmed in Toronto!) but not Mumbai. I'd love to see more movies with different settings.

[liliaeth]

I liked how they showed the joy and beauty in poverty as well as the harshness and the sadness. How Latika and Jamal and even Semil kept grace even in the worst of situations.

And how at the end the happy ending was completely and truly deserved, because you know that both Jamal and Latika had earned that happy ending by fighting for what little happiness they might have.

Even the huge dancescene at the end just completed the fairy tale :-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Latika and Jamal and even Semil kept grace even in the worst of situations.

I liked the way, with all the pain and hardships they had, they didn't show self-pity.

you know that both Jamal and Latika had earned that happy ending by fighting for what little happiness they might have.

They certainly did. And that the worst suffering for Jamal was being apart from her, and knowing she was suffering.

Even the huge dancescene at the end just completed the fairy tale :-)

That was such fun! I loved that.

[maaseru.livejournal.com]

Even the huge dancescene at the end just completed the fairy tale :-)
That was such fun! I loved that.

We've watched a number of Bollywood films, and some of them have an 'end credits' dance number, and this one I think was needed to help enhance the ending. And didn't Bend 'em Like Beckham had a fun dance number at the end?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I loved the dancing too. And Bend it Like Beckham... I don't remember the end credits, maybe I should watch it again!