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Slumdog Millionaire is directed by Danny Boyle with a story line based on the novel "Q & A" by Vikas Swarup. The number of award recommendations and Oscar nominations for a film based in Bollywood inspired me to watch the film and I must admit it definitely held my attention from the first scene until the very end. Though Danny Boyle deserves all the accolade for directing this film, the real heroes are the children living in the slums who have added a real authenticity to the film. This has definitely made it worthy of all the praise it is receiving from the critics and audiences everywhere.

The story starts in Mumbai with 18 year old, Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) being interrogated by a police officer on suspicion of cheating on the Indian version of the game show, "Who wants to be a millionaire". Despite being tortured, Jamal does not give the police officer the confession he is looking for. A more senior officer played by the actor, Irfan Khan, takes over the questioning and this is when we are taken back to Jamal's childhood in the slums of Mumbai, where he started his life with his brother Saleem.

Danny Boyle brings the harsh reality of the poverty stricken slum dwelling children of Mumbai to life in the film. We see children who have learnt to survive and cope in all sorts of adverse circumstances, including civil violence and dealing with pimps waiting to take advantage of their helplessness. The director even manages to add a touch of humour to the sordid lives these children lead when we see the lengths Jamal is willing to go through to get an autograph from his idol, the Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachan.

As the story unfolds we are introduced to Latika, the girl Jamal develops a soft spot for and for whom he is willing to do anything. Saleem is shown as a more streetwise character than Jamal and he succeeds in getting himself and Jamal out of all sorts of tricky situations. Both brothers manage to run away from the slums, not being successful in taking Latika with them, not from want of trying though. As he grows older Jamal becomes a "chai wala" or a tea boy in a call centre. It is here he manages to get himself into the show "Who wants to be a millionaire" hosted by Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor).

The clever use of flashbacks from episodes in Jamal's life adds to the continuing drama and keeps the interest alive throughout the film. We get a background to Jamal's life and as he answers each answer correctly, he gets nearer to the final 20 million rupee question. It is as if each question he is asked is interrelated to events that have occurred in his life and fate seems to provide him with the answers he needs. This is when he is suspected of cheating by the host of the show, as the first scene shows, but he manages to convince the police officer that he is innocent of any wrongdoing.

The film ends with the death of Saleem but not before he sees Jamal answering the final 20 million rupee question correctly. The story ends on a happy note with Latika and Jamal finally coming together through all sorts of odds.

The film was well made, kept the audience interest right to the end and has some very sad moments when we see the evil of poverty and its effect on the lives of such young children. But despite this it is a feel good film which gives hope to anyone no matter what their background. Music provided by A R Rahman is quite catchy and there are no usual song or dance numbers. It is only at the end of the film that Bollywood stays true to itself and we have a dance performed by Latika and Jamal. Through the tears you manage to smile and you leave the cinema with a feeling that life can offer hope to a human being, even in the most dire situations.

Learn more about this author, Shaheen Darr.
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