Rags To Riches !

Hello Bloggers,

What's on!

Hope this finds you all in the pinnacle of health!

Today i would discuss with you all Director Danny Boyle's latest offering "Slumdog Millionaire."

This movie generated some interesting discources in the form of feature segments involving opinions from filmakers, actors on channels as Times Now and so on.

A viewer of the channel stated: "The movie is an attempt to sell emerging India encompassing all sections of the society, with its potent middle - class, Call- centre culture to the west."

The movie also has generated interest among the public both nationally and internationally by winning the coveted Golden-Globe awards including individually for A.R. Rahman's powerful score in the production.

As you might all have known i watched this movie in a multiplex just near my institute (Fun-Cinemas) with my movie-buff partner, father. Gerry (pursuing Broadcast Journalism) and this production surely will create some sort of impression in the viewers mind.

The movie starts very creatively. The flashback of the story is shown running parallely with the present happenings ( such a technique was followed by Rang De Basanti, though the context was different there)

The movie is a fictionalised account of a young boy from the slums of Mumbai city emerging as the Millionaire in a Cash Quiz show which is a take on America's "Who wants to be a millionaire?" in the production's English version and "Kaun Banega Crorepati?" in its Hindi version.

The character is Jamaal Malik( Dev Patel) who growing through harsh realities of life lands up in the quiz-show of a production owned by Mr. Kumar ( Anil Kapoor) of which he is the host.

He is suspected by Kumar as to have used fraudulent means to earn the cash-prize on the show.

Thereby Jamaal is sent to Jail by Kumar himself when he on the penultimate question goes to the show's studio's bathroom and writes the wrong option for an answer upon one of the mirrors which becomes misty by the steam generated from the tap's hot water!

The opening shots are well-executed. The camera angles of profiles are good (these had to be so , for it is a Hollywood production).

Jamaal's journey from being an immature, everyday kid from the slums who lost his mother in communal clashes to being a responsible and humanitarian life-partner to Latika (Freida-Pinto) is well portrayed.

High handedness and typecast unreasonable attitude of Policemen towards convicts is shown by the torture meted out to Jamaal in the jail.

Inter- connectedness of Slums being attacked in this case by rioters and subsequent arrival of racketeers in the guise of Orphanage management people who lure children and try exploiting them according to their suited interests is also intelligently shown.

The most logical explanation Mr. Boyle tries to give in Jamaal's "bulls-eye" answers in the show is that he tries to piece together nuances of his personal life-experiences and a little bit of "Midas-touch" guess-work!

Father Gerry says that the concept is good and Boyle's imagination is convincing. He finds fault in one of the scenes when he says that a scar shown in the character Latika's(Freida Pinto) cheek is on her left when she is cut on the area by goons pursuing her in one scene is shown as being on her right side.

Overall a good Movie with symbolisms and interesting anecdotes thrown here and there in the form of objects, elements etc.

For instance, in the ending scene when our underdog hero is shown being reunited with his lady-love Latika in the V.T. station platform, the clock is shown with its dials on the figure "0" which i guess shows that their lives have started afresh braving all the turmoils and upheavels.

Music uphelds this movie and A.R. Rahman atleast for India's pride in the international arena shines bright with trademark- east meets west compositions in the form of tracks like the powerful anthem-like "Jai-ho" at the end picturised with dancing extras behind our hero and heroine ala, true Bollywood Style!

What is making the production more publicised is its 10 nominations for the Oscars this year with three being for the humble musician himself.

An underdog story with Bollywood streaks here and there the movie is worth a watch.

I would suggest you all to go and watch this sudden, out of the blue sky-rocketting pulp-fiction.

I won't discuss the story and deprive you of the thrills!

Just go and hit the theatres!

God Bless you all.

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