Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire has hogged too much of media headlights. I finally managed to watch it last weekend. There was a debate about west lapping up India’s slums and how the movie was so sentiment-evoking. I am disappointed on both the counts. Our own Indian movies have shown poverty/child prostitution/people on fringes in much more evocative manner: Traffic Signal, Kalyug, Chandni Bar, etc. And a substantial part of movie Slumdog Millionaire is similar to Traffic Signal. Though, latter takes it on a deeper level. Wait, I am not accusing Slumdog Millionaire of plagiarism. All I am saying that this movie that has been immensely moving to West, has been seen by us Indians several times before. I haven't read Vikas Swarup’s Q and A, but whatever things his story has weaved in: we have read often in magazines, watched in our movies, heard in news. It has every single thing we know: police mutely watching in case of communal riots, guides of Agra, begging business, child prostitution and last but the least our call centres. The entire story has been weaved in the background of Who wants to be millionaire?, which could be easily be replaced to winning a lottery to show a rags-to-riches story. It’s a sad thing we are getting used to grimness around. However, to be fair to Danny Boyle, I do not think he has set out to exploit India’s slums. Though there is an opening sequence, where policeman chases slum kids, camera pans to show us glimpse-of-dirtiest-possible-place on the earth, something our movies have shied away even when capturing penury. But you can fairly say, "story ki demand thi" :P Good things: Performances and cinematography. The young Jamal, Salim (especially Salim) and Latika played by slum kids were wonderful. Dev Patel is endearing. Anil was good as catty host. But disappointment Frieda Pinto, there wasn’t much for her to do, you see.