I watched this movie today evening. When it began, I felt that it was predictable, showing the usual underbelly and depressing situations. As the story built up, I felt it was just a collage of events. They have nicely blended how Jamaal knows the answers to each of the questions on Who Wants to be a millionaire. The incidents carry the story forward and also build upon Jamaal’s life. The cast though unknown delivers competent performances. The only thing I found jarring was the accent of Jamaal who was shown to be brought up in slums. The background music by A R Rahman is pretty good. The movie moves forward at a good pace. The story is engrossing.
The cast is completely Indian and the director is a foreigner. It goes to his credit that he gets the typical Indian nuances of the characters perfectly. Since he must have not lived in India, it is commendable that he makes a very Indian movie complete with the sensibilities.
A good movie. A must watch.