Slumdog Millionaire

Jamal (Patel) is the archetypal underdog. Born in the slums, he has always led a life of poverty, outside of the law, parentless with only his brother Salim (Mittal) to support him. His one ray of hope outside of the hardships of living the life of a slumdog is his love for the beautiful Latika (Pinto), a girl he met as a small child, but who was lost to him.

He makes it his quest to return to Mumbai and find Latika, though his life has taken him far from where he grew up. By chance he ends up on India’s version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in the hope Latika will be watching. The story of his success follows in episodic flashbacks between Jamal’s past and present.

Slumdog Millionaire has been a huge triumph, winning countless awards including 8 Oscars, despite its humble origins as a low budget British film by one of our favourite directors Danny Boyle (look out for his homages to Trainspotting). The audience is fully immersed in Indian culture, surrounded by rich colours, images and a tremendously crafted soundtrack which buzzes in your head even after the film is over. However, it is the emotional connection that this story evokes that has made it such a widely-loved movie, telling Jamal’s odyssey from boy to man in his quest for the woman he loves. It is tear-jerking, sometimes disgusting and always uplifting.

The two main leads are charming: Dev Patel shows his acting skills go further than the constantly horny Anwar from Skins, and the unspeakably gorgeous Freida Pinto plays her damsel-in-distress to perfection.

Slumdog is THE film of 2009. If you haven’t seen it before, go see it. If you’ve seen it already – go see it again… And stay for the end credits, they are one of the best bits!

Jemima Bowers