"Bizarrely Plausible" but very endearing. Review on Slumdog Millionaire Movie

To begin with, I would confess that I had seen Slumdog Millionaire much before it started receiving flak from some sections of Indian media(and the blogosphere) for "selling poverty to the West", or before the adulations started pouring on it(Golden Globe awards, or the Oscar nominations) for being "judged" what a brilliant film it is. My perspective about the movie isn't based on either of the two extremes. It's just based on how I felt immediately after watching the movie.

It takes a genius of a storyteller to pick an ordinary story, a bunch of cliches, and putting it all together into an extraordinary tale(or a "fairytale" rather) vivid in color and brimming with energy. And surprisingly, this time it's a so called "outsider" Danny Boyle, the director of Slumdog who successfully manages to feel the pulse of the dark underbelly of a city(Mumbai) and its characters(who aren't really "larger than life" ones), and translates it into an amazing cinematic experience.

Slumdog Millionaire is a story that celebrates the spirit of survival against all odds. Also, it's a simple yet powerful story about the redemptive power of love. At its core, the story is based on a simple plot replete with several cliches you might have seen many times in the past. What sets it apart is the treatment and the marvelous way the story is woven around these cliches, making it a thoroughly engaging watch.

Slumdog is a story of a young guy Jamal(Dev Patel), participating in a KBC like game show, hoping that his estranged lost love Latika(Freida Pinto) could just might notice him through it. We are told that Jamal is a Chai wala in some call center, having grown up in slums. Jamal is just a question away from winning 2 crores but his background makes the game show host Prem Kumar(Anil Kapoor) skeptical and suspicious as to how can a slumdog know the answers to all the questions(the fact is termed as "bizarrely plausible" by someone else later in the movie). In fact, part of his skepticism is also attributed to his own insecurities about seeing someone else getting rich and famous like him. He gets Jamal arrested accusing him of cheating. Jamal is taken into police custody, questioned, and even tortured by a police inspector(Irrfan Khan) and a constable(Saurabh Shukla), to tell the truth. What follows during their interrogation is a series of flashbacks with Jamal narrating the story of his own tumultuous life, how little incidents and experiences shaped it, and incidentally, in a way, also helped him find the answer to each question on the game show.

The child Jamal is shown as an uninhibited, carefree kid, living in a Mumbai slum with his brother Salim and mother. The kids lose their mother to a rioting mob, and then begins a tale that takes us through a journey of exploitation and survival, of despair and hope, of betrayal and trust, and of longing and love. The story hinges on Jamal's bitter sweet relationship with his brother, a tale of an unswerving love Jamal harbors for his childhood sweetheart Latika(who like Jamal and Salim was rendered orphaned and homeless in the riots), the interactions of these three characters, and about the choices they make while coming to terms with their own lives.

Slumdog, with its brilliant narrative, succeeds in holding you captive and never loosens its grip during its execution. The sequences are fused together in such an effective manner that even though it's a predictable story, it would still keep you curious as to what is going to happen next to its protagonists. It's also amazing how the movie, in a simple way, relates its three protagonists(Jamal, Salim, and Latika) to the characters Athos, Porthos, and Aramis from the novel "The Three Musketeers". I think putting such simple references into perspectives gives the movie its real meaning. And that's where the credit should go to the story writers(Simon Beaufoy and Vikas Swarup), and the director(Danny Boyle). Technically, the film is brilliant: the screenplay(Simon Beaufoy) is riveting, the editing(Chris Dikens) is sharp, and the cinematography(Anthony Mantle) is top notch. The music, especially the excellent background score, by A. R. Rahman immensely enhances the backdrop the movie is based in.

Flaws or goof ups you ask? Sure, there are quite a few here and there. For instance, when was KBC aired as a live show? But I would rather be liberal on such cinematic liberties in an otherwise brilliant film.

As for the performances, Dev Patel as Jamal turns out a well nuanced restrained performance. Madhur Mittal(as Salim) impresses as a character torn between his life's grisly reality and his affection for his younger brother. Freida Pinto(Latika), playing the helpless girl under the clutches of a cruel destiny, oozes sincerity and innocence in her character. Anil Kapoor as the arrogant, sarcastic, and insecure game show host, Irrfan Khan, Saurabh Shukla, and Mahesh Manjarekar deliver as expected. But it's actually the kids who are the real stars of the movie and walk away with most of the applauds. The kids playing out the childhood of Jamal(Ayush Khedekar and Tanay Chheda), Salim(Azharuddin Ismail andAshutosh Gajiwala) and Latika(Rubina Ali andTanvi Lonkar) turn out absolutely flawless and spontaneous performances, displaying innocence, vulnerability, liveliness, and exuberance, even amidst witnessing and facing life's murkiest and most sordid tribulations. Much of the film's endearing quality comes from these kids. A special word of praise for the casting director(and also the co director) Loveleen Tandon: The casting is spot on with a cast where everyone fits their role to a T.

Finally, to those who have a gripe against the portrayal of India in a bad light, all I would say is that it doesn't really take a foreign film or a filmmaker to "showcase" the gruesome realities that exist in our country. In today's times, we can't hide the murk that exists here from the rest of the world. If not a movie, the international media does it. And just voicing out our grunt against them isn't going to help. So if we really have "complaints" against what we saw in the movie, why not make an effort to wipe away those stark realities that still plague us? As for Slumdog, treat it just as a movie(without thinking that it's an outsider who made it; and if you forget that fact then probably you won't even realize if it was made by a foreigner), and it very well serves the purpose a movie is meant to: it makes you smile, cry, entertain, and also gives some sweet little messages(without preaching you about anything).

Slumdog Millionaire is a true masterpiece having all elements of extraordinary film making. It's a poignant tale that makes you cry but also makes you smile, only moments later. It's one of those rare movies that, in spite of telling a simple story, make you feel for, and empathize with the characters. Don't miss this one.