Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire (Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Irrfan Khan) – Certainly among the best and most original movies of the year, Slumdog Millionaire places us in modern-day Mumbai (Bombay), India, with its booming economy, modernizing culture and, yes, its ugly underbelly of slums, mob bosses and child enslavement.  The movie is three interconnected stories: the relationship over the years of two brothers, Salim and Jamal, whose mother is killed amidst ethnic violence; the love story between the younger brother and his childhood friend, Latika; and Jamal’s experience as a contestant on India’s version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.  The interspersion of the three stories provides the drama, the relevance and the excitement of the story.  Jamal (Dev Patel) is the streetwise, yet sensitive, boy who learns survival in the slums and on the streets.  Latika (first-time actress Freida Pinto) is the third of the “Three Musketeers” who is left behind at the “orphanage” when the brothers escape.  Jamal never forgets his female friend and, while surviving the streets and showing entrepreneurial talent, he keeps searching for her.  The story leads full circle to and from Mumbai – its high rises towering over its slums; its call centers serving customers worldwide, and its two-class social system that has existed since the time of British rule.  Jamal and Salim come from the wrong side of the tracks.  They are “slumdogs,” kids to be exploited by ruthless people inside and outside the slums.  How Jamal comes to be a contestant on Millionaire isn’t clear but his experience on the show is enlightening, strategic, and not so different from the corrupt world from which he comes.  The film, directed by Brit Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Trainspotting, The Beach, and A Life Less Ordinary) uses a talented cast, wonderful cinematography, and interesting lighting techniques to bring us a gritty look into a modernizing society still suffering from its own racial, ethnic, cultural and economic biases.  A must-see and an obvious Oscar candidate, Slumdog Millionaire is thought provoking, artistically exceptional and also a traditional love story.