Wikipedia

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaireis a 2008 Britishdrama filmthat is a loose adaptation of the novelQ & A(2005) byIndian authorVikas Swarup.[6]It narrates the story of 18-year-old Jamal Malik from theJuhuslumsofMumbai.[7]StarringDev Patelin his film debut as Jamal, and filmed in India, it was directed byDanny Boyle,[8]written bySimon Beaufoy,and produced byChristian Colson,withLoveleen Tandancredited as co-director.[9]As a contestant onKaun Banega Crorepati,aHindiIndian version ofWho Wants to Be a Millionaire?,Jamal surprises everyone by answering every question correctly so far, winning₹1crore(US$210,000(equivalent to $297,181 in 2023)), and he is one question away from winning the grand prize of₹2crore(US$420,000(equivalent to $594,362 in 2023)). Accused of cheating, he recounts his life story to the police, illustrating how he was able to answer each question.

Slumdog Millionaire
British theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay bySimon Beaufoy
Based onQ & A
byVikas Swarup
Produced byChristian Colson
Starring
CinematographyAnthony Dod Mantle
Edited byChris Dickens
Music byA. R. Rahman
Production
companies
Distributed byPathé Distribution[iii]
Release dates
  • 30 August 2008(2008-08-30)(Telluride)
  • 9 January 2009(2009-01-09)(United Kingdom)
Running time
120 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom[2][3][4]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million[5]
Box office$378.4 million[5]

After its world premiere at theTelluride Film Festivaland later screenings at theToronto International Film Festivaland theLondon Film Festival,[10]Slumdog Millionairehad a nationwide release in United Kingdom on 9 January 2009, in India on 23 January 2009, and in the United States on 25 January 2009.[11]Regarded as asleeper hit,Slumdog Millionairewas widely acclaimed, praised for its plot, soundtrack, cinematography, editing, direction, and performances (especially Patel's). It was nominated for 10Academy Awards in 2009and won 8—the most of any 2008 film—includingBest Picture,Best Director,andBest Adapted Screenplay.It won sevenBAFTA AwardsincludingBest Film,fiveCritics' Choice Awardsand fourGolden Globes.However,reception in India and among Indian diasporawas mixed, and thefilm was the subject of controversyover its depiction ofpoverty in Indiaand other issues. TheHindustan Timescalled it "an assault on Indian self-esteem".[12]

Plot

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In 2006, 18-year-old Jamal Malik, a resident of theJuhuslum ofMumbai,is a contestant onKaun Banega Crorepati.Before answering the final₹2 crorequestion, he is detained and tortured by thepolice,who suspect him of cheating. Through a series offlashbacks,he recounts the incidents in his life that provided him with each answer.

In 1992, five-year-old Jamal obtains the autograph ofBollywoodstarAmitabh Bachchanafter jumping into acesspit.Jamal's elder brother Salim later sells the autograph. Their mother is killed during theBombay riots.While fleeing the riot, the brothers briefly encounter a child dressed up asRama,with a bow and arrow in their right hand. Having escaped the riots and taken shelter from the rain, the brothers meet Latika, a girl from their slum. Salim is reluctant to take her in, but Jamal suggests that she could be their "third musketeer", a reference to theAlexandre DumasnovelThe Three Musketeerswhich the brothers had learned about in school. The brothers refer to themselves asAthosandPorthosbut do not know the third musketeer's name.

The three children are found by Maman—agangsterwhotrains street childrento become beggars. After learning that Maman is blinding the children to make them more effective beggars, Salim escapes with Jamal and Latika. The brothers successfully board a moving train, but Latika is unable to keep up. Salim grabs her hand but purposefully lets go as revenge for pulling a prank on him, leaving her to be recaptured by Maman. For the next few years, Salim and Jamal travel on top of trains, making a living by selling goods,pickpocketing,washing dishes, and pretending to be tour guides at theTaj Mahal.At Jamal's insistence, they return to Mumbai to find Latika and discover that Maman is raising her to be aprostitute.The brothers rescue her, Salim shooting Maman dead. Salim gets a job with Javed—a rival crime lord. In their room, Salim orders Jamal to leave him alone with Latika, presumably to sexually assault her. When Jamal refuses, Salim draws a gun on him, and Latika persuades Jamal to leave.

In 2004, Jamal, now working as achaiwalain acall centre,learns that Salim is a high-ranking lieutenant in Javed's crime organisation. Jamal confronts Salim, who pleads for forgiveness. Jamal then sneaks into Javed's residence and reunites with Latika. Although he professes his love for her, she tells him to forget her. Despite the refusal, Jamal promises to wait for her every day at five o'clock atVictoria Terminus.Attempting to meet him there, Latika is captured by Javed's men, led by Salim. He scars her face while driving away. Jamal loses contact with Latika and in a final attempt to reach her, he becomes a contestant onKaun Banega Crorepati,knowing she watches the show.

Jamal plays extremely well and becomes popular across India, much to the dismay of the show's host, Prem Kumar. Kumar attempts to trick Jamal by feeding him the wrong answer to the penultimate question. However, Jamal answers correctly, raising suspicion of him cheating.

When the episode ends, Jamal is arrested. After an initialbeating,the police inspector listens to his explanation of how he knew each answer. The officer believes Jamal and allows him to return to the show. Latika sees that Jamal was arrested on the news. Feeling guilty about his past behaviour, Salim gives Latika his phone and car keys, asking her to forgive him. After Latika leaves, Salim fills a bathtub with money and sits in it, waiting for Javed to realise what happened.

For the final question, Jamal is asked the name of the third musketeer. Jamal admits to not knowing the answer and uses his "Phone-A-Friend" lifeline to call Salim because it is the only phone number he knows. Latika answers and tells Jamal that she is safe, but does not know the answer. Javed hears Latika on the show and realises that Salim betrayed him. He and his men break down the bathroom door. Salim kills Javed before getting shot and killed by the gang. Relieved about Latika, Jamal guesses and picks the first answer,Aramis.He is correct and wins the grand prize. Jamal and Latika meet on the platform at the train station, kiss, and dance to the song "Jai Ho"along with all the other characters.

Cast

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Production

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Danny Boyledirected the film

ScreenwriterSimon BeaufoywroteSlumdog Millionairebased on theBoeke Prize-winning andCommonwealth Writers' Prize-nominated novelQ & AbyVikas Swarup.[18]To hone the script, Beaufoy made three research trips to India and interviewedstreet children,finding himself impressed with their attitudes. The screenwriter said of his goal for the script: "I wanted to get (across) the sense of this huge amount of fun, laughter, chat, and sense of community that is in these slums. What you pick up on is this mass of energy."[19]

By the summer of 2006, British production companiesCelador FilmsandFilm4 Productionsinvited directorDanny Boyleto read the script ofSlumdog Millionaire.Boyle hesitated, since he was not interested in making a film aboutWho Wants to Be a Millionaire?,which was produced by Celador.[14]Then Boyle learned that the screenwriter was Beaufoy, who had writtenThe Full Monty(1997), one of the director's favouriteBritish films,and decided to revisit the script.[20]Boyle was impressed by how Beaufoy wove the multiple storylines from Swarup's book into one narrative, and the director decided to commit to the project. The film was projected to cost $15 million, so Celador sought a USfilm distributorto share costs.Warner Independent Picturesgave $5 million and got the rights to the film.[14]

Gail Stevens came on board to oversee casting globally. Stevens had worked with Boyle throughout his career and was well known for discovering new talent. Meredith Tucker was appointed to cast out of the US. The filmmakers then travelled toMumbaiin September 2007 with a partial crew and began hiring local cast and crew for production inKarjat.Originally appointed as one of the five casting directors in India,Loveleen Tandanhas stated, "I suggested to Danny and Simon Beaufoy, the writer ofSlumdog,that it was important to do some of it inHindito bring the film alive [...] They asked me to pen the Hindi dialogues which I, of course, instantly agreed to do. And as we drew closer to the shoot date, Danny asked me to step in as the co-director. "[21]Boyle then decided to translate nearly a third of the film's English dialogue into Hindi. The director fibbed to Warner Independent's president that he wanted 10% of the dialogue in Hindi, and she approved the change.[22]Filming locations included shooting in Mumbai's megaslum and inshantytownparts ofJuhu,so film-makers controlled the crowds by befriending onlookers.[14]Filming began on 5 November 2007.[15]

In addition to Swarup's original novelQ & A,the film was also inspired byIndian cinema.[23]Tandan has referred toSlumdog Millionaireas a homage toHindi cinema,noting that "Simon Beaufoy studiedSalim–Javed's kind of cinema minutely. "[24]Boyle has cited the influence of severalBollywoodfilms set in Mumbai.[i]Deewaar(1975), which Boyle described as being "absolutely key to Indian cinema", is acrime filmwritten by Salim-Javed based on the Bombay gangsterHaji Mastan,portrayed by Bollywood superstarAmitabh Bachchan,whose autograph Jamal seeks at the beginning ofSlumdog Millionaire.[23]Anil Kapoornoted that some scenes of the film "are likeDeewaar,the story of two brothers of whom one is completely after money while the younger one is honest and not interested in money. "[25]Slumdog Millionairehas a similar narrative structure toDeewaar.[26]Satya(1998), written bySaurabh Shukla(who plays Constable Srinivas inSlumdog Millionaire), andCompany(2002), based on theD-Company,both offered "slick, often mesmerising portrayals of theMumbai underworld"and displayed realistic" brutality and urban violence. "Boyle has also stated that the chase in one of the opening scenes ofSlumdog Millionairewas based on a "12-minute police chase through the crowdedDharavislum "inBlack Friday(2007), adapted from Hussein Zaidi's book of the same name about the1993 Bombay bombings.[23][27][28][29]

Boyle has cited other Indian films as influences in later interviews.[ii][30]Therags-to-riches,underdogtheme was also a recurring theme in classic Bollywood movies from the 1950s through to the 1980s, when "India worked to lift itself from hunger and poverty."[31]Other classic Bollywoodtropesin the film include "the fantasy sequences" and themontage sequencewhere "the brothers jump off a train and suddenly they are seven years older".[30]

The producer's first choice for the role of Prem Kumar wasShahrukh Khan,[32]an established Bollywood star and host of the 2007 series ofKaun Banega Crorepati(the Indian version ofWho Wants to Be a Millionaire?). However, Khan turned down the role, concerned that he did not want to give his audience the impression that the real show was a fraud by playing a fraudulent host in the movie.[33]Despite the film's success, Khan said that he does not regret turning down the role,[32]and has been a vociferous supporter of the film to its critics.[34]Paul Smith, the executive producer ofSlumdog Millionaireand the chairman of Celador Films, previously owned the international rights toWho Wants to Be a Millionaire?[35]

Thecinematographywas handled byAnthony Dod Mantle,using mainlydigital cinematographyrather than traditionalfilm cinematography.It was shot on adigital camera,theSilicon ImagingSI-2Kvideo camera,in2K resolutiondigital video.It was the first film to take full advantage of the SI-2K digital camera.[36]

Soundtrack

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Main article:Slumdog Millionaire: Music from the Motion Picture

TheSlumdog Millionairesoundtrack was composed byA. R. Rahman,who planned the score for over two months and completed it in two weeks.[37]Danny Boyle has said that he chose Rahman because "not only does he draw onIndian classical music,but he's gotR&Bandhip hopcoming in from America,house musiccoming in from Europe and this incredible fusion is created. "[30]Rahman won the 2009Golden Globe Award for Best Original Scoreand won twoAcademy Awards,one forBest Original Scoreand one forBest Original Songfor "Jai Ho".Rahman had two songs nominated for Best Original Song – the nomination for"O... Saya"was shared withM.I.A.,while the win for "Jai Ho" was shared with lyricistGulzar.The soundtrack was released on M.I.A.'s record labelN.E.E.T.On Radio Sargam, film critic Goher Iqbal Punn termed the soundtrack Rahman's "magnum opus" which will acquaint "the entire world" with his artistry.[38]

Release

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Theatrical

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In August 2007,Warner Independent Picturesacquired the North American rights andPathéthe international rights to distributeSlumdog Millionairetheatrically.[15]However, in May 2008, Warner Independent Pictures was shut down, with all of its projects being transferred toWarner Bros.,its parent studio. Warner Bros. doubted the commercial prospects ofSlumdog Millionaireand suggested that it would go straight to DVD without a US theatrical release.[27]In August 2008, the studio began searching for buyers for various productions, to relieve its overload of end-of-the-year films.[39]Halfway through the month, Warner Bros. entered into a pact withFox Searchlight Picturesto share distribution of the film, with Fox Searchlight buying 50% of Warner Bros.'s interest in the movie and handling US distribution.[40]

Home media

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The film was released onDVDandBlu-rayin the United States on 31 March 2009. It opened at No. 2 in the DVD sales chart, making $14.16m from 842,000 DVD units.[41]As of 12 November 2009, an estimated 1,964,962 DVD units have been sold, for $31.32m in revenue. This figure does not include Blu-ray sales/DVD rentals.[41]It had previously been announced that 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment would be starting a new marketing program with two versions of each release: a stripped-down minimal version for the rental market, and a traditional full version with "bonus extra" features, such as commentary and "making of" material, for the retail market. The release production was mixed up; some full versions were shipped in rental cases, and some retail versions were missing the extras despite their being listed on the box. Public apologies were issued by Fox and Amazon.[42]

In the United Kingdom, the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 1 June 2009. It was 2009's fifth best-selling film onhome videoretail in the United Kingdom, third best-selling British film, and overall best-selling British independent film in the UK. It was also the year's toponlinevideo rentalin the UK.[43]On UK television, it was watched by5.2 millionviewers onChannel 4in 2010, making it the year's fifth most-watched film on UK television, the fourth most-watched British film, and the year's most-watched Channel 4 film.[44]

Reception

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Box office

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Following its success at the81st Academy Awards,the film topped the worldwide box office (barring North America), grossing $16 million from 34 markets in the week following the Academy Awards.[45]Worldwide, it has currently grossed over $377.9 million,[5]becomingFox Searchlight Pictures's highest-grossing film ever (surpassingJuno). It was the year's second highest-grossing British film worldwide (belowHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) and the most successful Britishindependent filmof all time.[43]

North America

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StarsDev PatelandFreida Pintoat the2008 Toronto International Film Festival

Slumdog Millionairewas first shown at theTelluride Film Festivalon 30 August 2008, where it was positively received, generating "strong buzz".[46]It also screened at theToronto International Film Festivalon 7 September 2008, where it was the festival's "first widely acknowledged popular success",[47]winning the People's Choice Award.[48]It debuted with a limited North American release on 12 November 2008, followed by a nationwide US release on 23 January 2009.[5]

After debuting on a Wednesday, the film grossed $360,018 in 10 theatres in its first weekend, a strong average of $36,002 per theatre.[49][41]In its second weekend, it expanded to 32 theatres and made $947,795, or an average of $29,619 per theatre, representing a drop of only 18%.[49]In the 10 original theatres of its release, viewership went up 16%, and this is attributed to strong word-of-mouth.[50]The film expanded into wide release on 25 December 2008 at 614 theatres and earned $5,647,007 over the extended Christmas weekend.[5]Following its success at the81st Academy Awards,the film's earnings increased by 43%,[51]the most for any film sinceTitanic.[52]In the weekend of 27 February to 1 March, it reached its widest release at 2,943 theatres.[5]It has grossed over $140 million at the North American box office.[5]

Europe

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The film was released in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2009, and opened at #2 at the UK box office.[53]It reached #1 in its second weekend and set a UK box office record, as the film's earnings increased by 47%, the "biggest ever increase for a UK saturation release," breaking "the record previously held byBilly Elliot's 13% ". This record-breaking" ticket surge "in the second weekend came afterSlumdog Millionairewon four Golden Globes and received elevenBAFTAnominations. It grossed £6.1 million in its first eleven days in the UK.[54]Its earnings increased by another 7% the following weekend, bringing its total gross up to £10.24 million for its first 17 days in the UK,[55][56]and up to £14.2 million in its third week.[57]

As of 20 February 2009, the film's UK box office gross was £22,973,110, making it "the eighth biggest hit at UK cinemas of the past 12 months."[58]In the week ending 1 March 2009, following its success at the81st Academy Awardswhere it won eight Oscars, the film returned to No. 1 at the UK box office,[59]grossing £26 million as of 2 March 2009.[60]As of 17 May 2009, the total UK gross was over £31.6 million.[61]It topped the UK box office for four weeks, more than any other film in 2009 (longer thanHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,which spent three weeks at the top). It was the year's highest-grossing drama film in the UK, and the year's highest-grossing film rated 15 by theBritish Board of Film Classification(BBFC). The film's UK audience demographic breakdown was 50% male and 50% female, with 80% under 55 and 20% over 55, and 32% inLondon.[43]It became the highest-grossing British independent film ever at the UK box office, surpassingFour Weddings and a Funeral(1994),[43][44]as well as the 20th highest-grossing British film ever at the UK box office and the highest-grossing domestic British film ever without US studio investment.[44]

The film's success at the Academy Awards led to large increases in earnings elsewhere in Europe the following week. Its biggest single-country increase was in Italy, where it was up 556% from the previous week. Its earnings in France and Spain also increased by 61% and 73% respectively. During the same week, the film debuted in other European countries with successful openings: inCroatiait grossed $170,419 from ten screens, making it the biggest opening there in the previous four months; and in Poland it opened in second place with a gross of $715,677. It was released in Sweden on 6 March 2009 and in Germany on 19 March 2009.[45]It has sold 17,807,302box office ticketsin Europe as of 2020.[62]

India

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In India, thepremiereofSlumdog Millionairetook place inMumbaion 22 January 2009 and was attended by major personalities of theIndian film industry,with more than a hundred attending this event.[63]A dubbedHindiversion,Slumdog Crorepati(स्लमडॉग करोड़पति), was also released in India in addition to the original version of the film.[64]The name was changed as Indians are more familiar withIndian numbering,including thecrore,than the Western numbering with the million.[65]Originally titledSlumdog Millionaire: Kaun Banega Crorepati,the name was shortened for legal reasons.Loveleen Tandan,who supervised the dubbing, stated, "All the actors from the original English including Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Ankur Vikal dubbed the film. We got a boy fromChembur,Pratik Motwani to dub for the male lead Dev Patel. I didn't want any exaggerated dubbing. I wanted a young unspoilt voice. "[66]The film was also dubbed inTamilasNaanum Kodeeswaran,withSilambarasandubbing for Patel,[67]whileS. P. BalasubrahmanyamandRadha Ravidubbed for Kapoor and Khan respectively.[68]

Fox Searchlight, withFox Star Studios,[69]released 351 prints of the film across India for its full release there on 23 January 2009.[70]It earned₹2,35,45,665(equivalent to₹59 million or US$710,000 in 2023) in its first week at the Indian box office,[71]or $2.2 million according to Fox Searchlight. Though not as successful as major film releases in India during its first week, this was the highest weekend gross for anyFoxfilm and the third highest for any Western release in the country, trailing onlySpider-Man 3andCasino Royale.[70]In its second week, the film's gross rose to₹3,04,70,752(equivalent to₹77 million or US$920,000 in 2023) at the Indian box office.[71]

A few analysts have offered their opinions about the film's performance at the Indian box office. Trade analyst Komal Nahta commented, "There was a problem with the title itself.Slumdogis not a familiar word for [the] majority [of] Indians. "In addition, trade analyst Amod Mehr has stated that with the exception ofAnil Kapoor,the film lacks recognisable stars and that "the film... is not ideally suited for Indian sentiment." A cinema owner commented that "to hear slum boys speaking perfect English doesn't seem right but when they are speaking in Hindi, the film seems much more believable." The dubbed Hindi version,Slumdog Crorepati,did better at the box office, and additional copies of that version were released.[72]Following the film's success at the81st Academy Awards,the film's takings in India increased by 470% the following week, bringing its total up to $6.3 million that week.[45]As of 15 March 2009,Slumdog Crorepatihad grossed₹158,613,802(equivalent to₹400 million or US$4.8 million in 2023) at the Indian box office.[citation needed]

Asia-Pacific

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The film's success at the Academy Awards led to it seeing large increases in takings in the Asia-Pacific region. In Australia, the takings increased by 53%, bringing the film up to second place there.[45]In Hong Kong, the film debuted taking $1 million in its opening weekend, making it the second biggest opening of the year there.[45]The film was released in Japan on 18 April 2009, South Korea on 19 March 2009, China on 26 March 2009,Vietnamon 10 April 2009,[45]and 11 April 2009 in thePhilippines.

In particular, the film was a major success in East Asia. In the People's Republic of China, the film grossed $2.2 million in its opening weekend (27–29 March). In Japan, the film grossed $12 million, the most the film has grossed in any Asian country.[73]

Accolades

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Main article:List of accolades received by Slumdog Millionaire
81st Academy Awards
1.Best Picture,Christian Colson
2.Best Director,Danny Boyle
3.Best Adapted Screenplay,Simon Beaufoy
4.Best Cinematography,Anthony Dod Mantle
5.Best Film Editing,Chris Dickens
6.Best Original Score,A. R. Rahman
7.Best Original Song– "Jai Ho",music byA. R. Rahman,lyric byGulzar(lyricist)
8.Best Sound Mi xing,Resul Pookutty,Richard Pryke,andIan Tapp
62nd British Academy Film Awards
1.Best Film,Christian Colson
2.Best Director,Danny Boyle
3.Best Adapted Screenplay,Simon Beaufoy
4.Best Cinematography,Anthony Dod Mantle
5.Best Film Music,A. R. Rahman
6.Best Editing,Chris Dickens
7.Best Sound,Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pyke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp
66th Golden Globe Awards
1.Best Picture – Drama
2.Best Director,Danny Boyle
3.Best Screenplay,Simon Beaufoy
4.Best Original Score,A. R. Rahman
24th Goya Awards
1.Best European Film

Slumdog Millionairewas critically acclaimed and named in the top ten lists of various newspapers.[74]On 22 February 2009, the film won eight out often Academy Awardsfor which it was nominated, including theBest PictureandBest Director.[75]It is the fifteenth film ever to win at least eight Academy Awards[76]and the eleventh Best Picture Oscar winner without a single acting nomination and was the last film to do so untilParasitein 2019.[77]At the same time,Taare Zameen Par (Like Stars on Earth),India's submission for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Film,failed to make the short list of nominations and was frequently compared withSlumdog Millionairein the Indian media.[78][79][80][81]

It was also the first film shot usingdigital cinematographyto win theAcademy Award for Best Cinematography,which was given toAnthony Dod Mantle.[36]The film also won seven of the elevenBAFTA Awardsfor which it was nominated, includingBest Film;all four of theGolden Globe Awardsfor which it was nominated, includingBest Drama Film;and five of the sixCritics' Choice Awardsfor which it was nominated. The title sequence was nominated at the 2009Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festivalin the Broadcast Design Award category in competition with theMatch of the DayEuro 2008titles byAardmanand two projects by Agenda Collective.

In 2010, theIndependent Film & Television Allianceselected the film as one of the 30 Most Significant Independent Films of the last 30 years.[82]

Critical response

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TheSlumdog Millionaireteam at the81st Academy Awardsin the US

Outside of India,Slumdog Millionairewas met with critical acclaim. The film holds a 91% approval rating onRotten Tomatoesbased on 290 reviews, with anaveragescore of 8.4/10. The consensus reads, "Visually dazzling and emotionally resonant,Slumdog Millionaireis a film that's both entertaining and powerful. "[83]OnMetacritic,the film has an average score of 86 out of 100, based on 36 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[84]Movie City News shows that the film appeared in 123 different top ten lists, out of 286 different critics lists surveyed, the 4th most mentions on a top ten list of any film released in 2008.[85]

Roger Ebertof theChicago Sun-Timesgave the film four out of four stars, calling it "a breathless, exciting story, heartbreaking and exhilarating."[86]Wall Street JournalcriticJoe Morgensternrefers toSlumdog Millionaireas, "the film world's first globalised masterpiece."[87]Ann Hornaday ofThe Washington Postargues that, "this modern-day 'rags-to-rajah' fable won the audience award at theToronto International Film Festivalearlier this year, and it's easy to see why. With its timely setting of a swiftly globalising India and, more specifically, the country's own version of theWho Wants to Be a MillionaireTV show, combined with timeless melodrama and a hardworking orphan who withstands all manner of setbacks,Slumdog Millionaireplays likeCharles Dickensfor the 21st century. "[88]Kenneth Turanof theLos Angeles Timesdescribes the film as "a Hollywood-style romantic melodrama that delivers major studio satisfactions in an ultra-modern way" and "a story of star-crossed romance that the original Warner brothers would have embraced, shamelessly pulling out stops that you wouldn't think anyone would have the nerve to attempt any more."[89]

Anthony Laneof theNew Yorkerstated, "There is a mismatch here. Boyle and his team, headed by the director of photography, Anthony Dod Mantle, clearly believe that a city like Mumbai, with its shifting skyline and a population of more than fifteen million, is as ripe for storytelling as Dickens's London [...] At the same time, the story they chose is sheer fantasy, not in its glancing details but in its emotional momentum. How else could Boyle get away with assembling his cast for a Bollywood dance number, at a railroad station, over the closing credits? You can either chide the film, at this point, for relinquishing any claim to realism or you can go with the flow—surely the wiser choice."[90]Colm Andrew of theManx Independentwas also full of praise, saying the film "successfully mixes hard-hitting drama with uplifting action and theWho Wants To Be a Millionaireshow is an ideal device to revolve events around ".[91]Several other reviewers have describedSlumdog Millionaireas a Bollywood-style "masala"movie,[92]due to the way the film combines "familiar raw ingredients into a feverish masala"[93]and culminates in "the romantic leads finding each other."[94]

Other critics offered more mixed reviews. For example,Peter BradshawofThe Guardiangave the film three out of five stars, stating that "despite the extravagant drama and some demonstrations of the savagery meted out toIndia's street children,this is a cheerfully undemanding and unreflective film with a vision of India that, if not touristy exactly, is certainly an outsider's view; it depends for its full enjoyment on not being taken too seriously. "He also pointed out that the film is co-produced byCelador,who own the rights to the originalWho Wants to Be a Millionaire?and claimed that "it functions as a feature-lengthproduct placementfor the programme. "[4]

A few critics outright panned it.Mick LaSalleof theSan Francisco Chroniclestates that, "Slumdog Millionairehas a problem in its storytelling. The movie unfolds in a start-and-stop way that kills suspense, leans heavily on flashbacks and robs the movie of most of its velocity.... [T]he whole construction is tied to a gimmicky narrative strategy that keepsSlumdog Millionairefrom really hitting its stride until the last 30 minutes. By then, it's just a little too late. "[95]Eric Hynes ofIndieWirecalled it "bombastic", "a noisy, sub-Dickensupdate on the romantic tramp's tale "and" a goofypicaresqueto rivalForrest Gumpin its morality and romanticism. "[96]

Reactions from India and the Indian diaspora

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Main article:Reactions from India and the Indian diaspora to Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionairehas been a subject of discussion among a variety of people in India and theIndian diaspora.Some film critics have responded positively to the film; others objected to issues such as Jamal's use ofBritish Englishor the fact that similar films by Indian filmmakers have not received equal recognition. A few notable filmmakers such asAamir KhanandPriyadarshanhave been critical of the film. Author and criticSalman Rushdieargues that it has "a patently ridiculous conceit."[97]

Adoor Gopalakrishnan,one of the most acclaimed film makers in India during the 1980s and 1990s and a five-time Best Director winner of theIndian National Film Awards,lambastedSlumdog Millionaire,calling it in an interview to NDTV: "A veryanti-Indianfilm. All the bad elements of Bombay's commercial cinema are put together and in a very slick way. And it underlines and endorses what the West thinks about us. It is falsehood built upon falsehood. And at every turn is fabricated. At every turn it is built on falsehood. I was ashamed to see it was being appreciated widely in the west... Fortunately Indians are turning it down. "[98]

Academic criticism

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See also:Controversial issues surrounding Slumdog Millionaire

The film has been subject to serious academic criticism. Mitu Sengupta (2009 and 2010) raises substantial doubts about both the realism of the film's portrayal of urbanpoverty in Indiaand whether the film will assist those arguing for the poor. Rather, Sengupta argues the film's "reductive view" of such slums is likely to reinforce negative attitudes to those who live there. The film is therefore likely to support policies that have tended to further dispossess the slum dwellers in terms of material goods, power and dignity. The film, it is also suggested, celebrates characters and places that might be seen as symbolic of Western culture and models of development.[99][100]Ana Cristina Mendes (2010) places Boyle's film in the context of the aestheticising and showcasing of poverty in India for artistic (and commercial) purposes, and proceeds to examine "the modes of circulation of these representations in the field of cultural production, as well as their role in enhancing the processes of ever-increasing consumption of India-related images."[101]

However, there are others who point to the changing urban aspirations and prospects for mobility that can be seen in Indian cities such as Mumbai in which the film is set. The film is seen by D. Parthasarathy (2009) as reflecting a larger context of global cultural flows, which implicates issues of labour, status, ascription-achievement, and poverty in urban India. Parthasarathy (2009) argues for a better understanding of issues ofdignity of labourand that the film should be interpreted in a more nuanced way as reflecting the role of market forces and India's new service economy in transforming the caste and status determined opportunity structure in urban India.[102]

Academic criticism has also been extended to the underlying philosophy of the film, with its apparentends-justify-meansmessage.[103]Many elements of the film, including the apparent redemption of Salim at the end of his life and the film's subjugation of the suffering of peripheral characters to the romantic aspirations of Jamal, are characteristic, say such critics, of a naïve,Providence-based vision of reality.[103]

Notes

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References

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