Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008) (2024)

Introduction and history of the film

Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008) is the film that our film studies class is required to watch for Component 2a, the first section of component 2, the second written exam. The genre of this film is a romance/crime.

The director of Slumdog Millionaire, Daniel Boyle, is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films such as:

  • Shallow Grave (1994)

  • Trainspotting (1996) and its sequel T2 Trainspotting (2017)

  • The Beach (1999)

  • 28 Days Later (2002)

  • Sunshine (2007)

  • Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

  • 127 Hours (2010)

  • Steve Jobs (2015)

  • Yesterday (2019)

His debut film Shallow Grave won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film and the British Film Institute ranked Trainspotting the 10th greatest British film of the 20th century. He has had many other success outside of the immediate film industry as well. For example, in 2012 he was the artistic director for “Isles of Wonder”, which was included in the opening ceremony of the Olympics that year. Following this, he was offered a knighthood a part of the New Year Honours but turned this down due to his political (republican) beliefs.

Slumdog Millionaire premiered worldwide at the Telluride Film Festival. It had a nationwide release in UK on the 9th January 2009, in India on 23 January 2009, and in the United States on 25 January 2009. The film was very successful and it was praised for as much as its plot, soundtrack, cinematography, editing, and performances. However there were mixed reactions from the Indian audience due to the films depiction of Indian slums. Currently, the film has grossed over $377.9 million, becoming Fox Searchlight Pictures’s highest ever grossing film. In the year it was released, it was also the most successful British independent film of all time. The film won:

  • 7 BAFTA awards (including Best Film)

  • 5 Critics’ Choice Awards

  • 4 Golden Globes

  • 8 Academy Awards

Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008) (1)

The film follows the life story of a young orphan boy from the slums, Jamal Malik, as he makes his way onto the indian version of the worldwide renowned hit TV show “Who Wants To Be Millionaire”. The film was structured in a series of flashbacks from Jamal’s younger to older life and all the hardships and trauma that he went through, which led him to correctly answering all of the questions.

Slumdog Millionaire was filmed on location, and the filmmakers controlled the sets by befriending the local community.

When casting the oldest Jamal Malik for the film, Boyle considered hundreds of young male actors. After deciding that a common trope of Indian films was ‘strong, handsome hero type’ lead actors, his daughter suggested Dev Patel, for his recent work in the hit TV show Skins (2007). The actor for the eldest version of Latika, Freida Pinto, was an Indian model, and had not starred in a feature film. When it comes to her character’s costume, the designer wanted to ‘bookend the journey, by tying her childhood yellow dress she wears, to the distinctive yellow scarf she wears when she is older.

Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008) (2)

Plot

The main characters in this film are:

  • Dev Patel as Jamal Malik

    • Ayush Mahesh Khedekar as youngest Jamal

    • Tanay Hemant Chheda as middle Jamal

  • Freida Pinto as Latika

    • Rubina Ali as youngest Latika

    • Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar as middle Latika

  • Madhur Mittal as Salim Malik, Jamal's elder brother

    • Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail as youngest Salim

    • Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala as middle Salim

  • Anil Kapoor as Prem Kumar, the game show host

  • Irrfan Khan as Police Inspector

  • Saurabh Shukla as Police Constable Srinivas

  • Mahesh Manjrekar as Javed Khan, the crime boss

  • Ankur Vikal as Maman, the rival crime boss and child kidnapper

The film follows Jamal Malik on the hit game show Kaun Banega Crorepati (the official Hindi version of ‘Who Wants to be Millionaire’). Before answering the final question, the game officials suspect him of cheating because he has gotten all the questions right and he is tourtered and detained by police. As Jamal explains himself, we are taken through a series of flashbacks of his childhood which led him to be able to answer each question correctly.

Jamal is a young boy who grows up in the slums with his older brother, Salim Malik. Unfortunately, during some riots their slum is burnt down and their mother is killed. As the two children flee the commotion, they shortly see a child dressed up as a Hindu God, Rama. Just before the brothers sleep underneath a dingy shelter they found, they see a young girl, Latika, stood alone in the rain. Salim is very reluctant to befriend her but Jamal invites her in anyway, after suggesting that she could be the ‘Third Musketeer’, whom they learned about in school but never found out the name of.

Later on, the 3 children are taken to what seem like a children’s playground by a supposedly kind man, Maman. However, after Salim sees that Maman makes a child blind purposefully so he can get more money when he begs, the 3 children attempt to escape and run onto a moving train. Salim and Jamal successfully get on the train but as Salim is pulling Latika onto the train, he lets go of her on purpose as revenge from an earlier prank Latika pulled on him. Salim and Jamal survive through scamming people, pickpocketing, washing dishes and pretending to be tour guides to foreigners at the Taj Mahal. Jamal persuades Salim to let the two return to Mumbai and go back for Latika, in which Salim shoots Maman dead. He then begins to work with anther crime lord, Javeed. Salim pulls a gun on his brother Jamal, and orders him to leave the room which he and Latika are in and run away, suggesting Salim is about to rape her. After Latika also ushers Jamal, he leaves the two alone.

Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008) (3)

Jamal, now much older, works in a call centre, in which he finds Salim’s number and arranges to meet up with him. He finds out Salim still works for Javeed and then punches him, though Salim begs for his forgiveness. Jamal asks about Latika and though Salim claims she is long gone, Jamal sneaks into Javeed’s house disguised as a cook and finds her. He confesses his love for her but she tells him to forget about her and get out of the house. Jamal promises to wait for her everyday at the train station. One day she comes to the station ready to escape with Jamal but she is recaptured by Javed’s men and Salim.

Back on the game show, the host, Prem Kumar, attempts to trick Jamal by drawing the wrong answer to the question in the steam of a bathroom mirror. Because Jamal goes against his answer, that is when he is beaten and taken to be questioned, under the suspicion of cheating. He is allowed back onto the show after his explanation. Latika and Salim are watching the show that Jamal is on and Salim apologieses to Latika and gives her his car keys and phone, tellnig her to go to Jamal. For the final question on the TV show Jamal is asked the name of the last musketeer and he uses his phone-a-friend line to call Salim’s number, but Latika picks up. She doesn’t know the answer but assures Jamal he is safe. Jamal is happy that they have spoken (as the purpose of his appearance on the show was to get Latika’s attention) but ends up guessing the right answer and wins the jackpot. Whilst this is happening Javed realises Salim has betrayed him and Salim shoots him before being shot himself by a member of the gang. Jamal and Latika meet on an empty train platform and there is a final dance break with all the other characters to the song ‘Jai Ho’.

Film techniques and narrative

Due to the conditions of the slums (e.g the narrow alleyways, unpredictable setting) the cinematography (handled by Anthony Dod Mantle) was mainly digital cinematography, using the ‘Silicon Imaging SI-2K video camera in 2K resolution digital video’. This was the first known film to take full advantage of this type of digital camera.

In a continuous attempt to accurately represent the community they were filming in, the screenwriter, Simon Beaufoy, made 3 research trips to India and interviewed the children in the slums. The filmmakers also only travelled with a partial crew and then hired local cast and directors. Then there was also the decision to translate around a 3rd of the film’s English dialogue into Hindi. Boyle claims that inspiration for the film not only came from Swarup's original novel Q & A, bur it was also a ‘homage’ to Indian cinema. It has a similar narrative structure to many other hit Bollywood films (e.g. montage sequences).

Reactions to the film

For me, the film was a lovely representation of someone who is in love with someone it seems he can’t have, yet the power of his emotions causes him to never give up on his dreams. During this, it shows how all the hardships in his life actually led to his utmost success. There are lots of plot twists which make the film even more enjoyable. Overall I give the film 4.7/5.

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Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008) (2024)
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