On the night of the Oscar's I managed to convince my mate that we must see Slumdog Millionaire before it wins the awards that it has been nominated for. After a day of injury and bad headaches, I knew that I would have to watch something good or I'll be flat out asleep on the uncomfortable cinema chair within five minutes, I was probably the worst critic that this film could have got, and amazingly it kept me awake and it even 'healed' my aches and pains.

The Plot

The film follows a young man Jamal Malik who is taken into police custody when he is accused of cheating on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. He has to then explain, with great detail, how he knew every question of the competition, because surely, a young uneducated boy from the slums of Mombai can't know everything asked.

When Jamal is saying how he knew the answer to the particular questions, the films flashes back, as far back as the age of about 7 where he and his brother faced their first heartache. Throughout the film, you find out that Salim (Jamal's brother) and Latika (the girl that means the world to Jamal) have taken on very different paths and those paths are the reason that Jamal is on the show.

The Cast

Dev Patel- Jamal Malik
Anil Kapoor- Prem Kumar
Freida Pinto- Latika
Madhur Mittal- Salim

Tanay Chheda- Middle Jamal
Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala- Middle Salim

Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail- Young Salim
Auysh Mahesh Khedekar- Young Jamal
Rubiana Ali- Young Latika

My Opinion

Like I said earlier, I did go into watching the film not really in the best of moods, I was in a big grump due to all the aches and pains that I woke up with this morning, and I knew that I had to watch something magnificent that would keep me awake or I would be one of the worst critics the film has had.

If you have been living under a rock for the last 2 months or so, then you won't have heard of Slumdog Millionaire, the film is well known for it's rag to riches story and the rags to riches that the film went through in real life, Danny Boyle and the rest of the crew nearly had to send the film straight to DVD but Fox Searchlight Pictures picked it up and distributed it and now it is nominated for I believe 10 Oscars and it has already won a lot of the big awards in Hollywood/England.

This film is really a very emotional journey and like they say on the trailers and whenever they talk about the film, it really is a feel good film, you have to expect a big of darkness because the 15 certificate which is given to this film is right in my opinion, there are things shown that younger people shouldn't really watch but when you come out of the cinema, if you weren't having to be almost carried out like I was as I was so tired, you'll get such a buzz from the film and you'll feel very good.

The Acting

I was never a fan of Skins, but I knew Dev Patel's face from Channel 4 advertisements of the show, and when I first heard that an unknown was going to be the main protagonist in a film so big as this, I was shocked but not really sold. I think it was the interview that Dev Patel did on Jonathan Ross that changed my opinion of him and then I realised, boy this boy is going to be something very special. I love the story behind his casting, the casting Director couldn't find anyone that could have played Jamal in India, but when Danny Boyle's daughter mentioned Dev Patel's name after watching him on Skins, Boyle was sold and changed the Bollywood actor they had with Patel.

I think Patel's role within the film was just amazing, the first time Patel is on the screen, you think, why was this guy hired because he is hollow, nothing is being shown, but as you go through the film you realise why he was hired, he seriously has something very special about him and he really seems like a very honest actor and he really pulls at your heartstrings throughout.

It was the littlest actors that wowed me the most within the film, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail were all absolutely amazing, none of them have had any acting training or have been in any other films but they took to the acting like a duck to water, they were all very natural and they gave the most realistic performances as the kids in the Slums, mainly because they were picked by Boyle and his team straight from the Slums, so they are all facing the heartache and the problems that little Jamal, Salim and Latika face within the film.

The girl that plays the older Latika is Freida Pinto is a very good actress, she doesn't have as much of a role as little Latika but she still works very well alongside Dev Patel's character.

The last person that must be mentioned is Anil Kapoor who plays the game show host, he really is a brilliant and gives you quite a few laughs within the film.

The Production

The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy and it was based on a novel called Q & A by writer Vikas Swarup. You can tell that so much research went into this film it really is ridiculous, everything from the ways the slums are, the way the kids and people are in India and the rags to riches story that is in the film. The film was directed by the original reluctant Danny Boyle, who didn't like the idea of directing a film about Who Wants To Be A Millionaire but was overwhelmed by the script and decided to take it up.

The production that has gone into this film is just amazing, they got little children to play the lead characters in the flashback storylines, and this little children were taken straight from the Slums of Mombai, which made it that more realistic.

Fluidity

I really haven't seen many bad reviews of this film but the ones I have seen have talked about the jumpiness of the film, that they don't like the fact it constantly goes from the current day back to the past, I really did feel like going, why did you watch the film then because this is something you should expect when watching the film. The story is told by a series of flashbacks, and it will jump and it may take a couple of seconds to realise why they have jumped but it all comes together nicely.

Negative

The length for me was something of a negative within the film, it is just over 2 hours in length and it really does feel like the two hours, I think a lot of the footage could have been edited but they have kept it in to add either more time to the film or more depth but some of the flashbacks could have been cut down.

Another negative, is a bit of a stupid negative but if you are like me, and are not very good with strong accents then you will struggle with this film, I kept on having flashbacks to all those times I call a call centre and spend an hour trying to understand the person on the phone, but if you are like me, then I would recommend waiting for DVD when you can put subtitles on, or control the volume.

The Soundtrack

The soundtrack adds to the uplifting feel you get from watching this film, the editing of this film and the music and score used at certain parts is just amazing, and I think it really is something amazing when the music fits perfectly with what's on the screen. I have not watched many bollywood films, I don't think any to be honest, and I didn't think I would like the music, but it's so uplifting and so powerful that it adds to the brilliance of the film.

The Director

Danny Boyle is something of a hero in my house, there are not many 'big' English directors that I enjoy the films of, and considering I want to be a director, he really is something of a hero. When I heard it was him Directing this film, I was immediately drawn to the film, but just didn't have the time to get to see the film.

The film is beautifully done, this is not just down to Boyle's direction but the cinematographer genius Anthony Dod Mantle, he has worked with Boyle before on 28 Days later and is famous for working on the likes of Dogville, Millions and Last King Of Scotland, but this film is just beautifully shot and directed, a lot of emotion is given from the cinematography within the film, you get a lot of bleak looks when they are filming within the slums, but when it is a happy moment, a lot of light is used within the film.

Who will enjoy the film?

Everyone, I haven't seen many films like this before, and I haven't seen a film which shows the poverty within India before and I think this film is a very big eye opener to people like me and many more. It is such an uplifting film but the certificate of 15 is very right and I would say I would show it to my 14 year old sister fine, but I think 12/13 year olds would struggle to get the message of the film.

Should You Watch The Film

Yes, I think 2009 has been an amazing year for film, so far I have watched three 2009 films and so far they have all been brilliant, this film is not one I'll buy straight away when it comes out, I'll wait about a year till I can get it cheap but it is still worth checking out either now whilst it's on at the cinema or on DVD.

Details

Running Time: 2 hours on the dot
Certificate: 15
Director: Danny Boyle (Loveleen Tandan is the Indian Co-Director)
Release Date: 2009

(C) Kirsty 2009