One has to be a die hard cynic or with a severe case of reverse snobbery not to fall in love with a work of genius such as this. I have two words for you. Simply awesome. What I loved about the movie was that the idea of the story was penned by an Indian, Vikas Swarup, co directed by an Indian, Loveleen Tandon and infused with heart moving music by an Indian, A R Rehman. Ah, but he belongs to the world now. Great script, fantastic editing, slick direction. Danny Boy(le), Golden Globes was just the first halt and you shall be taking bows at the BAFTAs and Oscars as well. It’s amazing how a foreigner has connected so emphatically with the local ethos and the dark underbelly of Mumbai. Even the local idiom has been paid homage to. I feel that to truly appreciate the movie it should be seen in both the Hindi and English versions.
A simple story has been woven into an audio visual delight. Jamal, a street kid(slumdog if you will) appears on a game show a la “Kaun Banega Carorepati” and from a shaky starts finds himself on the verge of winning the grand prize. He is about to be asked the final question when the show time ends and is rolled over to the next episode of the show. How is it that an ordinary guy from the slums of Amchi Mumbai knows all the right answers, well almost? The celebrity host played by Anil Kapoor gets suspicious and gets Jamal arrested for investigation of possible fraud. He is interrogated by the Inspector/Constable team of Irrfan Khan and Saurabh Shukla who use all the lovely techniques of torture and casual brutality known to the Indian police. Jamal’s answers to the prods of police form the narrative of the movie. Answer by answer he takes us through the tumultuous journey of his life right from his childhood to his present youth. In life and not in the text books is where the education of most of the under privileged like Jamal lies.
The characterization of the little Jamal & his brother by Ayush Mahesh Khedekar & Azharuddin Mohammad Ismail are an inspired choice. The two little hoodlums steal your heart with their bunny dunny acts. Their flight, with the police hot on their heels & chasing them through the maze of the slums ought to be a classic of sorts. The raw energy of the running children and rapidly changing camera shots mixed with the reverberating beats of “O Saya” set your adrenalin racing. The whining guardians of the Indian culture might cringe at candid shots of shit holes but reality wins here. The same would have been deified as art cinema had the Director’s surname been a Benegal or a Ray or a Kaul. Bully for you Danny Boyle. The innocence of the boys is almost crushed by political scum but they rise again to happiness and a degree of affluence using the time honored Old Man Fagin’s tricks in stealing and picking pockets. The love interest of Jamal is played by Frieda Pinto, easily one of the prettiest faces to hit the screen in the recent past.
The director’s earlier experience of making “Trainspotting” comes in hugely handy in directing the train sequences. Throughout the movie the visuals are simply stunning. From the streets and slums of Mumbai to the ghats of Kanpur , from the Taj on the banks of Jamuna to hills of west India Boyle doesn’t miss a trick in celebrating the mad romance and beauty of India. And all this is set to the beautiful and haunting melodies of Rehman. U.K’s hip hop artist M.I.A’s collaboration in the two numbers, “Paper Planes” and “O saya” are exemplary. The ultimate celebration of joy “Jai Ho” sung by the irrepressible Sukhwinder Singh was surprisingly accompanied by a deft jig by the cast & the crew (I presume). Superb stuff. Am I panting? But then movies like this come along once in a while. Phone a friend, go and enjoy the experience. It’s exquisite. Jai Ho!!
