Slumdog Millionaire Movie Review
By Nickiel Govender
Accused of cheating and desperate to prove his innocence, an eighteenyear-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai reflects back on his
intriguing life while competing to win 20 million rupees on India's Who
Wants to Be a Millionaire in Danny Boyle's inspirational drama.
Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) may not have a penny to his name, but that
could all change in a matter of hours. He's one question away from
taking the top prize on India's most popular television game show, but
as with everything else in Jamal's life, it isn't going to be easy. Arrested
by police under suspicion of cheating, Jamal is interrogated by the
authorities. The police simply can't believe that a common "slumdog"
could possibly possess the knowledge to get this far in the game, and in
order to convince them of how he gained such knowledge, Jamal begins
reflecting back on his childhood.
As young boys, Jamal and his older brother, Salim, lived in squalor,
and lost their mother in a mob attack on Muslims. Subsequently forced
to rely on their own wits to survive, the desperate siblings fell back on
petty crime, eventually befriending adorable yet feisty young Latika as
they sought out food and shelter on the unforgiving streets of Mumbai.
Though life on the streets was never easy, Jamal's experiences
ultimately instilled in him the knowledge he needed to answer the
tough questions posed to him on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
And though Jamal makes a convincing case for himself, one question
still remains: why would a young man with no apparent desire for
wealth or fame is so determined to win big on a national game show? Of
course, it won't be long until everyone finds out the answer to this