Slumdog Millionaire - by James Prell and Sarah-Charlotte Brown
Slumdog Millionaire is a beautifully put together film that explores many of the different facets of life in India. It follows the story of a boy named Jamal Malik (played by Dev Patel and Ayush Mahesh Khedekar) in a non-linear fashion through his early life in the slums to his participation in the game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” Though Slumdog Millionaire was a wonderful journey of a film, the story itself seems at times a romanticized Hollywood version of India.
Slumdog Millionaire is a beautifully put together film that explores many of the different facets of life in India. It follows the story of a boy named Jamal Malik (played by Dev Patel and Ayush Mahesh Khedekar) in a non-linear fashion through his early life in the slums to his participation in the game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” Though Slumdog Millionaire was a wonderful journey of a film, the story itself seems at times a romanticized Hollywood version of India.
The camerawork throughout the length of the film felt close and intimate. Each shot is in constant motion, moving smoothly and tracking the characters as they interact –whether that involves conning tourists, riding on top of trains, or running through one of India’s sums. This technique draws the audience into the film, creating a fly-on-the-wall experience. Slumdog Millionaire was able to capture the mood of the film in each shot, exposing the difference between the vibrant color of the wealthy and the grimy squalor of the very poor. One of the most notable sequences in the film happens early on, as the two young brothers –Jamal and Salim– make mischief to be chased by a guard through the tight alleys of the slum. Close up shots and quick transitions follow the boys reveling in their game only to suddenly cut away, panning upwards to reveal the sprawl of tin roofs and cloth walls.
There are many themes of class differences in Slumdog Millionaire. In the film, they try to show examples of each class, some of which are very unrealistic. There are references to both the different class systems within India, as well as India compared to America. In one scene, an American couple gives a young Jamal Malik money. As the couple hands the money to Jamal, they say that they are showing him a bit of America. This gives off the impression that America is very rich. They showed many parts of India throughout the journey. The characters start off in one of the poorest parts of India and end up rich after winning Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. In ways, this film seems to strictly be the story of a boy’s story of starting from the bottom and going to the top, with added elements in between.
In the movie, the acting was probably one of the best features. The film features a great list of (mainly) Indian actors. The story follows multiple characters through childhood and into adulthood, meaning they had to cast three different actors for certain characters. For each of those characters, they chose the perfect cast. Not only did the younger actors look exactly like their adult counterparts, but they were extremely good actors as well. For example, the child actor (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar) who played the youngest version of the main character (Jamal Malik), has been acting since the age of four. He was excellent in this movie, even while being the young age of seven or eight. Although you did not always feel attachment towards the characters, the actors certainly brought them to life. Throughout the movie the acting stands out a lot, especially with the younger actors, but also with the adults. Dev Patel, who played Jamal Malik as the adult version in present time, gave us a chance to be attached to his character unlike some of the other actors. He made Jamal Malik relatable in ways you might not expect. Patel had had very few roles before he was in Slumdog Millionaire, which you would never guess based on the talent he brought to the film.
While the story was interesting and the visuals vibrant and compelling, Slumdog Millionaire always felt like a movie. The story and conflict-resolution always felt very stereotypically Hollywood. Only in the movies could a boy raised in a slum know exactly how to get onto a gameshow, and then know the answer to nearly every question based on past experiences he’d had as a child. Though it is definitely a quality film, Slumdog Millionaire dealt more in themes –like love, poverty, and redemption– and less on important details, like why exactly a teenage boy can hold up a roomful of hardened criminals and get away with it. It is a film that can be thoroughly enjoyed, but only if the audience is willing to go along with the fantasy and believe in a few miracles.
In the movie, the acting was probably one of the best features. The film features a great list of (mainly) Indian actors. The story follows multiple characters through childhood and into adulthood, meaning they had to cast three different actors for certain characters. For each of those characters, they chose the perfect cast. Not only did the younger actors look exactly like their adult counterparts, but they were extremely good actors as well. For example, the child actor (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar) who played the youngest version of the main character (Jamal Malik), has been acting since the age of four. He was excellent in this movie, even while being the young age of seven or eight. Although you did not always feel attachment towards the characters, the actors certainly brought them to life. Throughout the movie the acting stands out a lot, especially with the younger actors, but also with the adults. Dev Patel, who played Jamal Malik as the adult version in present time, gave us a chance to be attached to his character unlike some of the other actors. He made Jamal Malik relatable in ways you might not expect. Patel had had very few roles before he was in Slumdog Millionaire, which you would never guess based on the talent he brought to the film.
While the story was interesting and the visuals vibrant and compelling, Slumdog Millionaire always felt like a movie. The story and conflict-resolution always felt very stereotypically Hollywood. Only in the movies could a boy raised in a slum know exactly how to get onto a gameshow, and then know the answer to nearly every question based on past experiences he’d had as a child. Though it is definitely a quality film, Slumdog Millionaire dealt more in themes –like love, poverty, and redemption– and less on important details, like why exactly a teenage boy can hold up a roomful of hardened criminals and get away with it. It is a film that can be thoroughly enjoyed, but only if the audience is willing to go along with the fantasy and believe in a few miracles.