Brilliant. I can totally see why this won all the awards: a thoroughly entertaining and genuinely moving film which managed to combine an excellent storyline with harsh realities and bring some real perspective into your life. Essentially, it’s a clever story that interweaves the “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” theme in with the real life of a Mumbai slums resident.
As usual, I managed to avoid reading the synopses provided in the gazillion other reviews of this film on the web, so it came as a bit of a surprise to learn it wasn’t about cheating at all, which I’d assumed. I’m not going to add spoilers to this review, even though I was probably about the last person in England to see it!
It was genuinely shocking at times when you think that the sort of life that is portrayed is reality for millions or people. Anyone that’s seen it will agree I’m sure. A good point to say that if you saw it and want to make a difference to someone’s life, then go to GiveIndia and donate something.
There’s been lots of comments about how this film portrays India in a bad light, even from the people residing in some of the slums who don’t like the inference of the term “slumdog”. There were even people who complained it was wrong to bring the young actors out of the slums and over to Hollywood for the Oscars. Total crap IMO – the least they deserved. But whatever the rights and wrongs, it brings the whole poverty issue into a public focus.
The film is set largely in Mumbai. What the film doesn’t tell you is that there is a massive regeneration project due to get underway anytime now with an innovative approach. Developers have pitched for the rights to redevlop the slums on the condition that for every 100 sq ft. of residential re-housing space they provide existing “residents”, they can develop 133 sq ft of commercial space to sell. Clever. Although not all the slum dwellers will see the benefits. It’s reserved for those who have lived there since 1999. Quite where the others go, I haven’t discovered.
Anyway, enough. I’d just like to finish by saying everyone should see this film. I can’t see anyone coming away thinking anything other than they were glad they went.