February 23, 2009
This brief synopsis of Slumdog Millionaire that I got from Fox Searchlight, the production company of the movie, doesn't really give the movie its deserved right of reverence.
Fiscally speaking, the movie has been produced with less than $14 million. It has so far grossed over $100 million in the US theaters alone.
It hasn't been released in Lebanon yet, but I got the opportunity to watch it on DVD a month ago and I was utterly blown away.
Not only does the movie progress in a very logical way, but the sequence of scenes and they way the movie is built is really captivating.
The movie starts with the Indian police torturing someone who is clearly a teenager (later revealed to be Jamal Malik) because they suspect he cheated on the very popular TV show: Who Wants to Be A Millionaire.
The movie is really the investigation with Jamal Malik and the chief officer's quest to understand how this "slumdog" did better than the doctors and engineers and thinkers of India on that show.
So they watch a taped version of the episode and Jamal Malik is told to say how he knew the answer to each question.
It is then revealed that he didn't know the answer through school or science or any other method we might see as a source for information, but it was life that taught him the answers.
At one point, he will be asked a question about an Indian god. Jamal is Muslim so they expect him not to know the answer, but he answers correctly.
It turned out that when he was a little boy, his village was attacked by Hindus and everyone got killed.
While he was escaping with his brother and Latika, he saw the figurine of this God and the figure stuck to his mind ever since.
Eventually, the whole show turns out to be nothing less than Jamal's quest to find his true love.
At the opening scene, a title card is presented: "Jamal Malik is one question away from winning 20 Million Rupees. How did he do it? A) He cheated, B) He's lucky, C) He's a genius.
The answer is given at the end of the movie: D) It is written.
The actors of the movie have gone from the Slums of Mumbai to win the most prestigious oscar (Best Picture) at the Academy Awards.
The movie was nominated for 10 Academy awards, of which it won 8.
From Slums of Mumbai to the Academy Awards
"The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just …
"The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who 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."This brief synopsis of Slumdog Millionaire that I got from Fox Searchlight, the production company of the movie, doesn't really give the movie its deserved right of reverence.
Fiscally speaking, the movie has been produced with less than $14 million. It has so far grossed over $100 million in the US theaters alone.
It hasn't been released in Lebanon yet, but I got the opportunity to watch it on DVD a month ago and I was utterly blown away.
Not only does the movie progress in a very logical way, but the sequence of scenes and they way the movie is built is really captivating.
The movie starts with the Indian police torturing someone who is clearly a teenager (later revealed to be Jamal Malik) because they suspect he cheated on the very popular TV show: Who Wants to Be A Millionaire.
The movie is really the investigation with Jamal Malik and the chief officer's quest to understand how this "slumdog" did better than the doctors and engineers and thinkers of India on that show.
So they watch a taped version of the episode and Jamal Malik is told to say how he knew the answer to each question.
It is then revealed that he didn't know the answer through school or science or any other method we might see as a source for information, but it was life that taught him the answers.
At one point, he will be asked a question about an Indian god. Jamal is Muslim so they expect him not to know the answer, but he answers correctly.
It turned out that when he was a little boy, his village was attacked by Hindus and everyone got killed.
While he was escaping with his brother and Latika, he saw the figurine of this God and the figure stuck to his mind ever since.
Eventually, the whole show turns out to be nothing less than Jamal's quest to find his true love.
At the opening scene, a title card is presented: "Jamal Malik is one question away from winning 20 Million Rupees. How did he do it? A) He cheated, B) He's lucky, C) He's a genius.
The answer is given at the end of the movie: D) It is written.
The actors of the movie have gone from the Slums of Mumbai to win the most prestigious oscar (Best Picture) at the Academy Awards.
The movie was nominated for 10 Academy awards, of which it won 8.
India
Oscars
Slumdog Millionaire