Dishonest and shallow love-story with lots of style and sentiments

Rating: 4/10 (1 April 2009)

This left me dumbfounded. I cant believe this film has garnered so much attention, let alone adoration. This got some the Oscars? I just realized this from reading glancing over the board, i though it was The Curious Case Of Benjamin Buttom that won best picture. Oh well.
I don't know what to say. Its directed with great style and i love that it takes place in Inda.
But its a little hard to care for such a flat character as the protagonist. But off-course you root for the underdog right? Oh, i definitely did initially, but as the film progressed and the love-story kicked in, i started to care less.
Take the scene where the brothers rescues the girl. First, would she really still have been a virgin? A man that burns children eyeballs probably would have sold her to someone already. Does this matter?
Yes because the film shouldn't soft panders us like that.
And would she really have been wanted to escape with them?
Run away with two street-thugs? No. People are not just trapped physically you know, people are trapped by their social situation. A girl in her situation probably would have chosen to stay as a dancer where she at least could earn some kind of living and had a sense of security.
But does this really matter? Its a "fairytale" right? Sure, but the film calls this kind of thinking and critics to itself by describing the ugliness of poor in almost gruesome details. It wants to have it both way. Its a dishonest and shallow picture in so many ways.
The love-story is underdeveloped. There is little chemistry between the two brothers. And its main-character is, as i already stated, very flat.
There are some great scenes. Jamal falling down in crap-house and then getting his autograph was funny and disgusting. But i found the film decreasing in quality as it went along. The scenes in the actually Millionary show was also quite good with the host turning in a good performance, being that kind of character that is written for the audience to dislike and loath.