This simultaneously gritty and uplifting modern fairy tale mixes poverty, purpose and promise. Born in the slums of Mumbai, brothers Jamal and Salim Malik survive their childhood, ultimately taking life paths that connect, separate and reconnect. The clever orphans create opportunities through a combination of luck and pluck. Latika, their young female friend, motivates some of the boys’ choices throughout their lives.
Despite the millions living in Mumbai, the Maliks’ world is somewhat small. People enter, disappear and return.
New acquaintances provide challenges. By necessity, Jamal reveals his past in a series of flashbacks. This plot device serves to fill in the protagonist’s life history and to answer questions. Conceptually, questions play a major part in the drama. Several queries predominate. Does destiny supersede human will? Can a poor boy change his status and gain respect? The latter query, although common, is freshly adapted in this film.
Familiar roles might weaken a film through bad acting or poor writing. “
Slumdog Millionaire” contains the classic bad influences, the innocents and the enigmas. Charles Dickens might have recognized elements. Happily, treatment of these stereotypic characterizations is original. Nine gifted actors portray Jamal, Salim and Latika at
various ages. Effectively, English dialogue vies with subtitles for the audience’s attention.
The Mumbai of “Slumdog Millionaire” stands as oppressive, congested, modern, ancient, and as vibrant as any metropolis. Polluted, shack-filled slums are recreated, becoming concrete gardens as skyscrapers rise like trees. New construction ascends from the residue of the slums. The poverty of Bombay transforms into the prosperity of Mumbai as technology becomes global and industries emerge.
Combining new with old, drama with amusement, tragedy with exhilaration, “Slumdog Millionaire” shows the audience a mixture that is India. This beautiful cinematic tapestry woven from various threads remains in memory. Its dramatic color matching the colorful cloth squares at the river’s edge.
Despite a
revealing title, the film delights in revealing Jamal’s life from its insular, humble beginnings to an expansive, rewarding future. This “slumdog” is a heroic figure. Impacted by circumstance, Jamal remains true to himself and his dreams.