funny and heartwarming, modern without being cold...

Rating: 9/10 (12 January 2009)

Slumdog Millionaire deserves its Golden Globe sweep (Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Screenplay). The surprise hit will jolt you out of your ennui from all sides.
Simon Beaufoy based the screenplay on Vikas Swarup's bestselling novel 'Q and A', about Jamal Malik, a poor orphan from the slums who wins the US$410,000 jackpot on "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?" to attract the attention of the woman he loves. He is accused of cheating, however, and to explain how he managed to answer each question, he recounts the fascinating tale that is his life.
Director Danny Boyle (Sunshine, 28 Days Later, The Beach) and director for India Loveleen Tandan produced a frenetic film that still manages to be riveting enough to focus on equal parts colorful Indian landscape and gritty human reality, allowing you to experience a wide range of emotions. The original score by A.R. Rahman complements the visual assault with a fluid infusion of Indian-flavored electronic beats.
The film is brilliantly cast, with Dev Patel as the older Jamal, Madhur Mittal as Jamal's older brother Salim, and Freida Pinto as the older Latika, Jamal's childhood friend and ultimate love interest. The three main characters' stories unravel from their past lives, and the actors who play them in their early teens and childhood all contributed marvelously (Boyle was reportedly crushed to learn of some of child actors' real poverty-stricken lives, and ensured them of their education and trust funds).
Slumdog Millionaire is a socially-relevant drama that's also funny and heartwarming, modern without being cold. Consistent with Boyle's style, despite tackling dark themes, it still has room for positive vibes, daring you to see the beauty in despair. It may not be a Bollywood flick but it ends in traditional Bollywood style: a grand production number!