Too much hype, not enough matter.

Rating: 6/10 (24 January 2009)

The only reason I can think of due to which Slumdog Millionaire has won various awards is that the competition is seriously lacking. I enjoyed the movie, but not all of it.
I must give full credit to the children who have performed in the movie, they are the ones who deserve a nomination/award. Bombay is shot beautifully, exposing the harsh reality of slum life. It is realistic and gripping. Then the children grow up, this for me was the turning point in the film. Patel, in the lead role was expressionless and irritating. I still cannot understand the Hindi (with subtitles) to English transition in the dialogue, and where for the love of god did the accents come from? (particularly those of Anil Kapoor & Freida Pinto, who hail from the Indian subcontinent).
The entire story after the first half was unimpressive. There was no chemistry between the lead characters, probably due to lack of acting experience.I do not understand the ideology of the casting director for casting an NRI as the 'slumdog millionaire'. He does not suit the role at all. Irrfan Khan/Mahesh Manjrekar have not been used well. A R Rahman probably deserves every bit of the acclaim that he is receiving, but this movie is definitely not his best. For anyone planning to watch 'Slumdog', my advice is not to go with high expectations.