Danny Boyle's best film

Rating: 7/10 (29 January 2009)

I didn't expect to like this movie. When I heard the basic plot line I thought it would be a movie with fake characters and a tacky happy ending. Having seen some Indian English efforts, I didn't expect much from this. But I was wrong.
The plot is quite unique. A boy Jamal(Dev Patel) from a slum goes on to win the Indian version of Who wants to be a millionaire. The focus in this movie is on how he knows the answers to the questions. This is quite an interesting concept and it has been executed well. What I liked about the movie is the portrayal of the characters in this movie. The characters seem real and down to earth. Unlike in some Indian movies, the main characters here are not entirely moral. An example is Jamal's brother. This is why the story rings true. It shows the travails of street children quite accurately. But it isn't too dark so it still can appeal to a lot of people.
I am a bit disappointed to see Irfan khan in a short role here as I feel he is more capable than that. He has done well in his short role. Dev Patel as Jamal is a major find as he aptly expresses the anger of a slum boy who is suspected of cheating. The little boys who did the role of Jamal and Salim in the movie have done a wonderful job. The music by AR Rahman(I am a fan of his) is quite top notch and it shows that he does better music when exposed to a better screenplay. The whole "suspected of cheating" part is too unbelievable though. Would a slum boy, who is in the limelight now, be taken into custody without ANYBODY knowing? The last time there was a guy who won a huge amount, there was such a lot of publicity that the contestants became stars overnight. The same thing happened here so it is a bit unbelievable to note that nobody knew that he is missing. The happy ending part was a bit cheesy too but I don't mind happy endings. The scene with the toilet was quite unnecessary though seems to be characteristic of Danny Boyle. A related scene was in Trainspotting too(The only other movie I have seen of his). I have an aversion towards such scenes.
Even if the movie is a bit cheesy, it gives a realistic picture of the situation on Indian streets and can be described as an Indian version of City of God. The movie captures the filth and crowded nature of Mumbai in such an exquisite manner. One of my favourite lines is when Jamal's brother proudly says that India is going global and he is at the centre of it. This line shows the influence of the mafia in Mumbai in so many sectors.
9/10