Slumdog Millionaire

Rating: 8/10 (17 March 2009)

This film has surely put British film-making back on the map, a fantastic success for versatile Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later). Basically 18-year-old orphan "slumdog" Jamal K. Malik (BAFTA nominated Dev Patel) is being interrogated by the Police Inspector (Irrfan Khan) with Sergeant Srinivas (Saurabh Shukla), after appearing on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?", hosted by Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor). Because he knows all the answers to the questions, they are accusing him of cheating, but he explains how he knew, and we see how through a series of flashbacks. The flashbacks see Jamal (middle - Tanay Hemant Chheda, youngest - Ayush Mahesh Khedekar), with brother Salim (older - Madhur Mittal, middle - Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala, youngest - Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail), and their life in the slums of Mumbai, and the adventures and vicious encounters they go through. This includes Jamal meeting Latika (older - BAFTA nominated Freida Pinto, middle - Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar, youngest - Rubiana Ali), the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his life reveals how he learnt the answers to all his seemingly impossible questions, until reaching the present day, where one question remains. With sixty million viewers watching, having used Ask The Audience and 50:50 already, Jamal uses the final lifeline, Phone A Friend, for his brother Salim, but instead (after a little wait), Latika is the one who answers the phone, she and Jamal cared more about talking to each other than the question, which she didn't know the answer to anyway. But it doesn't matter, Jamal decided as long as she saw him on TV, he might as well take a guess, a big risk, but it pays off, and he walks away with the jackpot of 20 million rupees, and it ends with he and Latika reunited. I wasn't expecting a dance sequence during a few minutes of the credits, but this just adds to sure enjoyment to be had with this energetic rags-to-riches tale full of tragic, comical and enlightening moments, with a wonderful use of colour, good on location cities, and terrific music, a brilliant British film. It won the Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Music for A.R. Rahman, Best Song for "Jai Ho", Best Sound, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published and Best Motion Picture of the Year, and it was nominated for Best Song for "O Saya" and Best Sound Editing, it won the BAFTAs for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Music, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound and Best Film, and it was nominated for Outstanding British Film and Best Production Design, and it won the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Original Score and Best Screenplay. Very good!