"Slumdog Millionaire" is, by all means, a visually superior film.Although the two films could not be more different, "SlumdogMillionaire" is this year’s aesthetic achievement to rival last year’s"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" inquality. From start to finish this is, pardon the use of a rather sillyand frequently used expression, a’visual feast’. The editing, digitalcinematography, and Danny Boyle’s direction(with co-director LoveleenTandan) create a fascinating aesthetic which is perfect for thematerial. Barely anyone(among the vast minority of people and criticswho didn’t care for this massively acclaimed film) is complaining aboutthe film’s technical virtues however, so how about all that contrived, sappy melodrama?
To my surprise, "Slumdog Millionaire" is very tasteful in almost everyrespect. The romance scenes are either beautifully understated(most ofthe scenes with them as children/young teenagers, and a couple afterthat) or fantasy melodrama like much of the stuff near the end of thefilm(although the actual final pre-credit shot itself is again, atender and beautiful moment). I have no issues with the fantasymelodrama however, because most of the film is done in that tone. Eventhe very realistic and brutally true-to-life scenes involving the raidsof Muslim sections of the slums by Hindus, and the luring of childrento a life of begging on the streets(for gangsters and criminals) inexchange for accommodation and food are done in a manner that is bothtastefully evocative of reality while fitting in tone with much of therest of the film, which has a more hopeful tone. It sounds improbable, but that’s what the screenwriter and director(s) achieve here. The filmdoesn’t strive for’gritty realism’, but everything in the film(yes, everything) is perfectly evocative of reality. The trouble with’grittyrealism’ is that it often is gritty and hopeless in a way life rarelyis to most of us, and is actually laughable if done wrong. Jamal’sflashbacks to the begging end in misery, but before that we get thehappiness and relief of slum life that these children felt. The raid isunrelentingly horrifying, but it is a haunting memory rather thansomething the film dwells on without stopping. The film also gives usscenes of comedic escapism which are still within the realm ofplausibility as well.
If you don’t know the general plot by now, here it is: Jamal is a boyfrom the slums of Mumbai who has reached the final question on "WhoWants to be a Millionaire" against all odds. The film, through a plotdevice I won’t reveal even though it’s only a mild spoiler, reveals thesources of Jamal’s knowledge of the answers to each question(exceptfor the ones he doesn’t know and guesses at/uses the lifelines for)through flashbacks to him throughout his childhood and teenage years.Here enter the accusations of the film’s supposedly’hilarious’, ’impossible’, and’dumb’ contrivances. There’s no way a chai wala knowsthe answers to those questions, and it’s too convenient that he happensto have experienced something suitable for all those answers. I beg todiffer. With a life like Jamal’s(which is, believe it or not, beingled right now by many children in India) I should hope that he gainedat least that much knowledge. He didn’t actually know the answers toevery question, and on a game of both luck and knowledge it’s entirelyplausible to me that Jamal’s game could actually happen. The only hugecontrivance is the nature of the very last question and what happenswhen it’s asked, but by then the movie had me in its grasp and the ployworked. The fact that every member of the cast is absolutely excellent, including the child actors, doesn’t hurt either.
It sounds odd, but "Slumdog Millionaire" seemed to me like it found away to combine a realist look at India(and, according to the Indianperson with whom I attended the film, it is absolutely spot-on inalmost every regard, and certainly doesn’t contradict anything I sawduring my short visit to India) and a romantic melodrama. The endresult, with the screenplay that combines the drama, comedy, andthriller genres to great effect, is both an aesthetic triumph, andunlikely as it sounds, a crowd-pleasing masterpiece. Also, the music isbrilliant, both the original score by the legendary A.R. Rahman and theexcellent choices made when it comes to the pop music included in thefilm(though that is to be expected from a Danny Boyle film). As forthose moaning about the love story, perhaps you have not found thatperson yet, get back to me when you do.
I recommend to watch this movie.This is what happens when international Directors & producers join with Indian actors & Indian theme.it becomes the ultimate Bollywood movie as no Indian director has ever thought of making a movie like this before.Indian directors just make a movie for money & they give just Timepass in indian movies.Thank You.