Slum Dog Millionaire

Last night, I saw Danny Boyle's Slum Dog Millionaire. The movie has been getting a lot of good reviews, and I definitely understand why.

The premise is that Jamal, a boy from the slums, is one question from winning Rs. 20,000,000 (approximately $400,000 dollars in today's world of $1 is worth Rs. 50) on a "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" type show. The film tracks events in Jamal's life that have brought him to where he is now. Jamal's difficult life is sometimes hard to digest, but his goodness gave me reason to hope. It's a great feel-good (verging on sappy) story.

The great thing about the film was how engaging it was. Right from a chase scene that occurs five minutes into the film, I was on the edge of my seat. The film was very beautifully filmed. I loved the fast-paced transitions between the past and present. As usual, Irfan Khan was good, and Dev Patel was well cast as the lead character, Jamal. But I really thought it was the kids in the movie who stole the show.

The film is not flawless. There are holes in the story line and the light feel of the film sometimes felt contrived. But the film just carries you and it is really hard to find fault with anything about it.

So yeah, go see it.