Fanciful, epic and exuberantly paced, Slumdog Millionaire chronicles the life of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), a dirt-poor orphan who captivates the masses as he wins a fortune on India's most popular quiz show. Told in non-linear style, the movie switches among harrowing stories of Jamal's childhood in the slums of Mumbai to his moments of awkward glory as a contestant on the show to his sudden incarceration and ensuing interrogation. It is this questioning by a police inspector (Irfan Khan) that elicits the compelling flashbacks of his early youth.
Slumdog is both universal and quintessentially Indian. Some of the film is in Hindi, which heightens a sense of authenticity, as does the musical score.
With dazzling, magical realism and vigorous storytelling, the film has an enchanting power, fusing a fairy tale quality with gritty realism. Yet even with interwoven surrealistic images, the story portrays cultural accuracy. In a highly charged, intensely Technicolor world, there is poverty and privation but also laughter and hope, accentuated by the tribute to Bollywood musicals during the final credits. The beautifully rendered and energetic tale celebrates resilience, the power of knowledge and the vitality of the human experience.
We can say that people prefer original and exotic films, rather than big Hollywood productions. We also attend a return in strength of musicals in the cinema: Chicago, mamma mia, hairspray and the phenomenon musical high school.
