Saturday May 16 Slumdog Millionaire

120 mins, UK 2008 Directed by Danny Boyle, Starring Amil Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Dev Patel

Boyle’s adaptation of Vikas Swarup’s novel Q&A combines great old-fashioned story telling with exhilarating cinema – part Dickensian rite of passage drama, part thriller, but ultimately a document of irrepressible human spirit.

The film opens as Dev Patel’s Jamal is being tortured by police, accused of cheating in the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? His interrogating officer takes him through the questions one by one, and Jamal is required to demonstrate how he came to know each answer – the questions become the frame through which his extraordinary life story unfolds.

It is the story of two brothers orphaned in the slums of Mumbai and their childhood sweetheart Latika, forced as young children to confront the inevitable cruelty, crime and exploitation that goes hand in hand with grinding poverty. The two boys survive by their wits, but ultimately take opposing paths in life – Jamal ends up in decent but lacklustre employment at the inevitable call-centre; his brother turns to crime, lured by the seductions of power and riches. 

Their story paints a portrait of a vibrant contemporary India and a period of extreme and often traumatic social change. Moving toward the 20 million rupee climactic question, you will find yourself on the edge of your seat, rooting for our unassuming hero, desperate for him to get the cash and the girl.

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