Slumdog Millionaire
When I was visiting my family a few weeks ago, my sister and I went to see Slumdog Millionaire. This movie is based on the novel of the same name. Jamal Malik is from the slums of Mumbai and after the death of his mother, he and his brother survive by their wits. As a child, Jamal knew a young girl, Latika, who he never forgot. He searches for her and when he finds her, she is in a bad situation that she can’t get out of. He finds out that she watches “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” so he goes on the show hoping she’ll see him. To everyone’s surprise, Jamal, the “slumdog” does very well. He is arrested and tortured because he is suspected of cheating. Through flashbacks, you discover how he knows the answers from his life experiences.
Slumdog Millionaire has won numerous awards and has been nominated for ten Academy Awards.
I know there is a lot of controversy surrounding this movie, but both my sister and I thought it was really good. Parts of it aren’t pretty. A lot of the scenes in the slums are hard to take, but it’s my understanding that some of was actually filmed in the slums. They are horrible, but the people there seem to have hope. This is the part of India that the Department of Tourism doesn’t want you to see. Children from the slums are cast in some of the roles. When you see what these children grow up in you understand the begging and hustling that goes on in these places – they are doing what they can to survive. I think the movie showed that people who don’t have an education can still be intelligent. There is also an underlying love story in this movie that is very sweet. The boy who played young Jamal is absolutely adorable and I hope acting in this movie will change his life.
I am hoping this comes to Germany soon!
My husband and I saw this over the holidays – we liked it. I have to admit turning away from the screen for more than a few scenes that were difficult for me to watch. The child actors are wonderful. And I loved the closing credits scene : )
I have yet to see any of the Oscar nominated movies. I am going to try and pack them all in soon. I have heard good things about this movie, even though I haven’t heard what it was about so thanks for sharing your experience at the movies.
Looking forward to your TT and picture of Milou. You know she steals the show every time, right?
I’m really anxious to see this movie. I’ve heard such great things about it.
I have not seen the movie. Neither do I intend to any time soon. I have nothing against poverty of India being shown to the world.
Having said that, I am a doer. I teach girls from such slums. I don’t market that, making millions out of it. I would give them education, and the will to live with dignity. That’s what I am doing and will continue doing.
I would love to see this movie! I’ve heard so many good things about it. I’ll probably have to wait until it’s out on DVD since we never go to movies!
It’s on my netflix queue, looks like it got bumped to a dvd release in march now, i think it was feb originally!
I liked this movie, too. I agree, the boys who played young Jamal and Salim were great. I thought it was well-cast all around.
I had a chance to see this one a month or so ago, and my boyfriend and I wound up seeing “The Spirit” instead. What a waste of time THAT was! We definitely should have watched this one!
I watched the movie and liked it! I came to know that it was based on a book only yesterday.. If I had known it earlier, I would definitely have read the book first! I am still trying to get my hands on the book now..
I so want to see this! Sounds like it’s not appropriate for kids, though, so I’ll have to wait until Chris and I get an evening out, or see it on DVD.
I actually didn’t know about the controversy. I tend to live under a rock, though
This hasn’t been released here yet, but I plan to see it when it is.
I also thought it was a great movie!
I loved this movie.
One note, though – the book the movie is based on is actually called Q & A. Danny Boyle, the director, made up the name Slumdog Millionaire.
I do want to see this movie. The slums in India are definitely hard to take – as a little girl, I used to see them when I’d visit and seriously have nightmares for months after the visit.
Oh I thought I wanted to see this one, now I do for sure!
Thanks for this post! I’ve seen this movie mentioned everywhere and had no idea what it was about.
I am glad you enjoyed this movie too, Kathy. It was good. I enjoyed the book as well. I was surprised at how different the two were from each other–but it didn’t hurt my enjoyment of either the book or movie.
I loved this one as well! What a great movie and I hope it wins all of the awards its been nominated for.
About half-way through this movie, I leaned over to my companion and whispered, “I thought this was supposed to be a ‘feel-good movie.’ When does the feel good stuff start?” Parts of it are really tough to watch, but it really is a terrific movie.