Slumdog Millionaire
| Slumdog Millionaire | |
|---|---|
British release poster
| |
| Directed by | Danny Boyle |
| Produced by | Christian Colson |
| Screenplay by | Simon Beaufoy |
| Based on | Q & A by Vikas Swarup |
| Starring | |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
| Cinematography | Anthony Dod Mantle |
| Edited by | Chris Dickens |
Production
company | |
| Distributed by | |
Release date
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Running time
| 120 minutes[2] |
| Country | United Kingdom[3][4][5] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million[6] |
| Box office | $377.89 million[6] |
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British drama film that is a loose adaptation of the novel Q & A (2005) by Indian author Vikas Swarup, telling the story of 18-year-old Jamal Malik from the Juhu slums of Mumbai.[7] Starring Dev Patel as Jamal, and filmed in India, the film was directed by Danny Boyle,[8] written by Simon Beaufoy, and produced by Christian Colson, with Loveleen Tandan credited as co-director.[9]
As a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Jamal surprises everyone by being able to answer every question correctly. Accused of cheating, Jamal recounts his life story to the police, illustrating how he is able to answer each question correctly.
After its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and later screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival and the London Film Festival,[10] Slumdog Millionaire had a nationwide release in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2009, in India on 22 January 2009,[11] and in the United States on 23 January 2009.[12]
Regarded as a sleeper hit, Slumdog Millionaire was widely acclaimed, being praised for its plot, soundtrack, direction, and performances, especially Patel's. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 2009 and won eight—the most for any 2008 film—including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It won seven BAFTA Awards including Best Film, five Critics' Choice Awards and four Golden Globes. However it was also the subject of controversy, especially in India, due to its portrayal of Indian society, the use of the word "slumdog" in the title and the exploitation of some of the younger actors.
Contents
Plot[edit]
Eighteen-year-old Jamal Malik, an Indian Muslim from the Dharavi slum, is a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and is one question away from the grand prize. However, before the ₹20 million(US$290,000) question, he is detained and tortured by the police, who suspect him of cheating. Through a series of flashbacks, Jamal recounts the incidents in his life that provided him with each answer.
Jamal's flashbacks begin when he is five years old. He manages to obtain the autograph of Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan after jumping into an outhouse cesspit. Jamal's older brother Salim later sells the autograph. The incident is followed immediately by the death of the siblings' mother during the Bombay riots. As the brothers flee the riot they meet Latika, a girl from their slum. Salim is reluctant to take her in, but Jamal suggests that she could be their "third musketeer", a reference to the Alexandre Dumas novel The Three Musketeers. Although the brothers had read the novel in school, and referred to themselves as Athos and Porthos, it is revealed that they do not know the third musketeer's name. Latika ultimately joins the group despite Salim's initial refusal.
The three are found by Maman—a gangster who trains street children to become beggars. When Salim learns that Maman is blinding the children in order to make them more effective beggars, he escapes with Jamal and Latika to a departing train. The brothers successfully board the moving train, but Latika is unable to keep up. Salim grabs her hand, but purposefully lets go, leaving her to be recaptured by Maman. For the next few years, Salim and Jamal travel around on top of trains, making a living by selling goods, picking pockets, washing dishes, and pretending to be tour guides at the Taj Mahal. At Jamal's insistence, they return to Mumbai to find Latika, where they discover that she is being raised by Maman to be a prostitute. The brothers rescue her, shooting and killing Maman in the process. Salim gets a job with Javed—a rival crime lord. Back at their room, Salim orders Jamal to leave him alone with Latika. When Jamal refuses, Salim draws a gun on him and Latika persuades Jamal to leave.
Years later, Jamal, now a Chaiwala in an Indian call centre, searches the centre's database for Salim and Latika. Although he fails to find Latika, he learns that Salim is a high-ranking lieutenant in Javed's crime organization. Jamal confronts Salim, who pleads for forgiveness and offers to let Jamal stay in his luxurious apartment. Jamal lies his way into Javed's residence in order to reunite with Latika. Although he professes his love for her, she tells him to forget about her. Despite the refusal, Jamal promises that he will wait for her every day at five o'clock at the VT station. Latika attempts to meet him there, but she is captured by Javed's men, led by Salim. Jamal loses contact with Latika. In a final attempt to reach her, he decides to become a contestant on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, because he knows she watches the show regularly.
Jamal is extremely successful on the show, answering every question correctly. He becomes popular across India, much to the dismay of the show's host, Prem Kumar. During a break, Kumar attempts to trick Jamal by feeding him the wrong answer to the penultimate question. When the question is asked, Jamal uses his 50/50 lifeline, leaving Kumar's answer and the correct one. Jamal answers correctly, raising immediate suspicion that he is cheating.
When the episode ends, Kumar leads Jamal out of the studio and he is forced into a police van. After an initial beating, the police inspector listens to Jamal's explanation of how he knew each answer. Finding all of Jamal's stories "bizarrely plausible", the officer allows him to return to the show. At Javed's safehouse, Latika sees Jamal on the news. In an effort to make amends for his past behavior, Salim gives Latika his mobile phone and car keys. He asks her to forgive him and tells her to find Jamal. Latika is fearful and reluctant, but agrees and escapes. Salim fills a bathtub with money and sits in it, waiting for Javed and his men to realize that Latika is free.
For the final question, Jamal is asked the name of the third musketeer. He uses his "Phone-A-Friend" lifeline to call Salim, because it is the only phone number that Jamal knows. Latika answers and tells Jamal that she is safe, although she does not know the answer to the question. Relieved, Jamal arbitrarily picks the first answer, Aramis. He is correct and wins the grand prize. Javed hears Latika on the show and realizes that Salim has betrayed him. He and his men break down the bathroom door. Salim kills Javed before he is shot and killed himself. In the final scene, Jamal and Latika meet on the platform at the train station and kiss. The movie ends with a Bollywood-style musical number.
Cast[edit]
- Dev Patel as Jamal Malik, a boy born and raised in the poverty of Bombay/Mumbai.[13] Boyle considered hundreds of young male actors, and he found that Bollywood leads were generally "strong, handsome hero-types". Boyle's daughter pointed Dev Patel out from his role in the British television ensemble drama Skins.[14][15]
- Ayush Mahesh Khedekar as child Jamal
- Tanay Chheda as teenage Jamal
- Freida Pinto as Latika, a girl from the streets who joins Jamal and Salim, then disappears; Jamal spends years hunting for her. Pinto was an Indian model who had not starred in a feature film before.[14] Regarding the "one of a kind" scarf she wears, designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb says, "I wanted to bookend the journey—to tie her childhood yellow dress to her final look."[16]
- Rubina Ali as child Latika
- Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar as teenage Latika
- Madhur Mittal as Salim K. Malik, Jamal's elder brother
- Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail as child Salim
- Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala as teenage Salim
- Anil Kapoor as Prem Kumar, the game show host. Boyle initially wanted Indian actor Shahrukh Khan to play the role.[17] Khan had hosted the 2007 series of Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Kapoor has also starred as a guest on the show with Amitabh Bachchan and won Rs 5,000,000.
- Irrfan Khan as Police Inspector
- Saurabh Shukla as Police Constable Srinivas
- Mahesh Manjrekar as Javed Khan, crime boss
- Ankur Vikal as Maman
- Rajendranath Zutshi as the Millionaire show producer
- Sanchita Choudhary as Jamal's mother
- Mia Drake Inderbitzin as Adele, American tourist
- Siddhesh Patil as Arvind, blind beggar
- Shruti Seth as the call center instructor
- Arfi Lamba as Bardi
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