A Magnificent Movie That Tells An Extraordinary Tale Of Survival, Courage, Integrity, Redemption and Above All, Love

Rating: Null/10 (26 December 2008)

From start to end, I was mesmerized by 'Slumdog Millionaire'. I love Danny Boyle as a director. I loved his 'Trainspotting', '28 Days Later' and 'A Life Less Ordinary' which are films I can revisit and easily enjoy. Yet, I got much more from 'Slumdog Millionaire' than I expected. It is completely different from anything Boyle has done.
The execution may at times very mildly remind one of 'Trainspotting' but this film is a lot more colourful. It stresses on the exoticness and cultural richness of India. The visuals are spectacular as there is plenty of detail and the shots are authentic. Boyle shows an impressive understanding of both life in the slums and streets and the modern Indian culture. I liked how the slums were filmed in a very genuine style rather than the 'pitiful dump inhabited by miserable savagelike people' as seen on the news channels. Boyle really balances the positive and the dark side. Even though little Jamal and Salim were slum-dwellers, they were shown to live a happy life with their mother. He also effectively portrays the harsh reality of life on the streets. The cinematography is fantastic and the editing is slick, while the film moves at a swift and steady pace maintaining the suspense and keeping the viewer engaged. The writing deserves mention as the characters are very well-etched, the dialogues are solid and the story itself is creative and fascinating.
I would never have guessed that A.R. Rahman was responsible for the soundtrack. To me, it is entirely different from anything he's done. It boosts of energy. Think of adrenaline. Or think of oxygen supply to the blood. That's what the soundtrack is to the movie. Hope Rahman gets the long deserved international recognition for it.
The acting is sublime. The child actors perform naturally and are outstanding, particularly those who play the youngest versions of Jamal, Salim and Latika. Dev Patel is wooden as the older Jamal.Freida Pinto is competent. It has been more than a decade since I've seen Anil Kapoor do any decent acting in any decent movie. Here, he seems to be back on track and delivers one of his best works (although he looks more like a drifter in a suit rather than a quiz-show host). Saurabh Shukla is getting typecast but he's effective and Irfan Khan shines once again.
It's hard to define 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Is it a rags to rich story? Perhaps, but becoming rich was never the protagonist's goal. Is it a story of survival? Yes. A Story of love? Yes, the search of a lost love. A Comedy? Yes. Intense drama? Yes. Thriller? Yes...but forget about finding the answer to such questions because 'Slumdog Millionaire' is much more than one could describe in a paragraph. Watch for yourself and see. Many seem to label it as this year's 'Juno' (though I personally find 'Juno' overrated) and compare it to other great examples of cinema. However, I found it to be very much its own film. I would easily call it one of the best movies of recent times. Hope it gets all the acclaim and recognition it deserves. A must see for everybody.