D. Because It Is Written

So I finally watched Slumdog Millionaire, and I actually found it better than I expected. Kavi asked me to write a review. I reluctantly agreed, but it will pail in comparison to those of Master Pandey. Oh well, let us begin.

My favorite movie for quite awhile now has been Pulp Fiction, but Slumdog Millionaire is much better in some regards. What makes Pulp Fiction so good is the dialogue, but the heart of Slumdog is the storyline, and oh what a story it is. It brilliantly mixes humor with sadness and love to fully mobilize one's emotions.

The story centers around three souls of the slums - Jamal (the protagonist), his brother Salim, and his love Latika. The Three Musketeers. The audience sees events of their childhoods, their teenage years, and their current lives as young adults. I loved how flashbacks corresponded with questions asked of Jamal.


The best acting was done by the kid actors who played the young versions of Jamal, Salim, and Latika. They were great and totally stole the show.

Continue Reading if you wish, but beware of spoilers. I would suggest you continue only if you have seen the movie.

Three Favorite Scenes:

(1) When young Jamal receives the autograph of his favorite actor. He literally jumps into a pile of human waste to get it. His exclamation upon receiving said autograph is one of pure, uncorrupted joy. The scene was very fun and exhilerating. I felt like I received the autograph along with him.

(2) A group of kids are playing cricket when suddenly they are chased through the streets by police and "the music is pounding" (to quote Kavi). The song, O Saya, is up for an Oscar along with Jai Ho. It is fair to say that the music in this film is outstanding.

(3) Okay, so I am occasionally a sucker for the more romantic parts of movies. Yet few scenes I have ever seen compare to the emotion I felt when Latika picks up the phone when Jamal chooses to phone a friend. What is the name of the third musketeer?

Latika: I don't know. I have never known.

I think somewhere in an alternate universe I wept tears of joy at those words. It isn't the words that evoke the emotion, but the emotion behind the words. Beautiful.


The film ends with a Bollywood-esque dance routine. While it wasn't the best dancing I have ever seen in a Bollywood or Tamil film (which I have actually watched quite a few of), it was probably the cutest due to the transitions from old Jamal/Latika to young Jamal/Latika. I felt it was a good way to end.

To conclude, do I think it will win the Oscar for Best Picture?

Yes, for it is its destiny.