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Slumdog Millionaire
This
section of GaramChai.com features movies and artists of Indian
origin who have made a mark in the global scene.
Movie:
Slumdog Millionaire
(2009)
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Synopsis:
Eighteen year old Jamal Malik is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions.
Each chapter of Jamal's increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show's seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out. At the heart of its storytelling lies the question of how anyone comes to know the things they know about life and love. |
Interesting stories on Slumdog Millionaire:
- 'Golden' diplomat basks in Slumdog glory: There’s a strong South Block connection to Slumdog Millionaire - which won four Golden Globe Awards including one for music director A R Rahman — and that’s Vikas Swarup. The movie is based on Swarup’s first novel, Q and A, and he is currently India’s Deputy High Commissioner to South Africa.
- Bachchan denies Slumdog criticism: BBC writes " Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan has denied criticising award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.
The actor says opinions posted on his blog criticising the film for projecting India as the "third world dirty underbelly", were made by others.
"
- Shahrukh's view on Slumdog Millionaire: Many critics and prominent industry people have been fuming about the fact that the Oscar nominated film Slumdog Millionaire highlights poverty in Mumbai. But the Baadshah of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan has no problem with it.
- Oscar silly season in full swing: The wonderers who wonder have come out of the woodwork, especially with a new controversy involving best picture favorite "Slumdog Millionaire" moving from back-burner to front-page headline status. - LA Times
- Saffron outfit vows to chase out Slumdog Millionaire: Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, which has received as many as 10 Oscar nominations, is facing stiff opposition from Hindu Janjagruti Samiti (HJS), a saffron outfit. The Samiti has launched a nationwide campaign, demanding a ban on Slumdog Millionaire, which the organisation claims has shown Indian culture and Lord Ram in poor light.
- 'It’s great to be recognised' Irrfan Khan, a vital part of the successful ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ on why the film works for him and why he disagrees with the critics.
- The Shadow of 'Slumdog's' Success:
What Does the Film Owe Child Actors -- and India? "This tangled neighborhood of pieced-together shacks along a railroad track seems an unlikely residence for movie stars. But here is where two of the child stars of the hit movie "Slumdog Millionaire" live, amid the rusted tin lean-tos that flourish in the shadow of this city's high-rises for the wealthy. . . "Slumdog Millionaire" -- or "Slumdog Crorepati," as the Hindi-language version is known -- received 10 Oscar nominations and has become the modern-day fairy tale of the year in multiplexes across America. Amid the film's U.S. box-office success -- it had grossed almost $60 million by last weekend -- comes ever-rising scrutiny within India of Boyle and the film's distributors, who find themselves fending off criticism. They are accused of not having done enough to compensate some of the younger Indian actors and extras who worked on the film, and have been called peddlers of the country's poverty." - Washington post
Bloggers viewpoints on the movie
- Nandan Nilekani blogs: I believe that a big way to identify the zeitgeist of a generation is through film... The tone of films made in and about India today is very different. It probably comes across most clearly in the plot of Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle’s paean to Bombay, our vibrant, hellish, colourful and eternally entrepreneurial city. For a million Slumdog Millionaires
- India Forum blogs: Will we get the very coveted Academy awards? The film has made India proud as it is nominated in 10 categories, and now is in the league of movies such as Ben-Hur, Titanic , Gone with the wind and others with most number of nominations. The Film has bagged nominations in categories of Best Picture, Direction, Film Editing, Original Score and Original Songs(A.R .Rahman), Cinematography, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing(Resul Pookutty) and adapted screenplay. Also veteran Lyrists Gulzar gets his first Oscar nominations for the song Jai Ho! All of them are carrying the hopes of people of India who are very anxiously awaiting the moment when A.R.Rehman like in Golden Globes, will again say “Thanks from more than one billion of people of India”.. What a magical moment it will be! Oscars, Our Hope and Slum Dog Millionaire!
- Shekhar Kapur: Lets get this right. Slumdog is an Indian film. So what if it the funds came from outside India. The funds for Bandit Queen came from the same source and it is considered an Indian film. The funds for Chandni Chowk to China came from Warner brothers, but it is considered an Indian film. So what if the Director is British, for his take on the film is completely Indian. Except for the Director, Screen Writer and one of the Producers, everyone else of the 100 odd people that make a complete film unit were Indian. The film is based on book by an Indian author. Slum Dog Millionaire, time to celebrate
- Amitabh Bachchan: Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan rubbishes Slumdog Millionaire: Writing on his blog, Bachchan said that "if SM projects India as [a] third-world, dirty, underbelly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky underbelly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations." - Big Adda
- Director Priyadarshan: Indian movie director Priyadarshan has joined the bandwagon in slamming Danny Boyle’s underdog saga ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and has called the film a ‘cheap trashy mediocre version’ of erstwhile Bollywood hits.‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is mediocre, trashy - SindhToday
- Is ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ poverty porn? The phrase “poverty porn” spread across the Indian media as commentators nodded in agreement or shook their heads even before the film premiered in its native Mumbai and India could (legally) watch it. - Southasianlife
- Ankur Bhatia blogs - I don't want to get into the habit of pulling down the expectations of everyone but i don't even want to praise something just because its got an Oscar nomination. Having said that Slumdog by no means is a bad film. In fact its a superb film, one that takes you on a ride which is fast, crisp and exhilarating. A Millionaire for sure but an Oscar? - Desicritics
- Compassion International blogs: So here is a question for you to ponder . . . In the case of poverty tourism, does the end justify the means? In other words, is it worth exploiting the poor in their helpless, and often hopeless, situation if it ultimately changes someone’s heart towards the poor? I’d really like to hear your thoughts on this one.
Directors: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan (co-director: India)
Writers: Simon Beaufoy (screenplay) and
Vikas Swarup (novel)
CAST: Dev Patel ... Jamal K. Malik
Anil Kapoor ... Prem Kumar
Saurabh Shukla ... Sergeant Srinivas
Rajendranath Zutshi ... Director (as Raj Zutshi)
Jeneva Talwar ... Vision Mixer
Freida Pinto ... Latika
Irrfan Khan ... Police Inspector
Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail ... Youngest Salim
Ayush Mahesh Khedekar ... Youngest Jamal
Sunil Kumar Agrawal ... Mr Chi (as Sunil Aggarwal)
Mahesh Manjrekar ... Javed
Sanchita Choudhary ... Jamal's Mother
Himanshu Tyagi ... Mr Nanda
Movie Review and links:
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