By Nurul Ain Muzlan

Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Director, Best Cinematography – these are just some of the Oscar awards clinched by the engrossing, vibrant and moving Slumdog Millionaire. Rated 8.5 out 10 stars and 94% by the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes respectively, it is apparent that this movie ought to be one of 2009’s “must-watch”.

Slumdog Millionaire is directed by Danny Boyle based on a novel ‘Q & A’ by Vikas Swarup. It tells a story of an 18-year-old orphan, Jamal Malik, who grew in the slums of Mumbai. Witnessed by the whole nation, he answered every question on India’s “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” with ease. A question away from winning 20 million rupees, the police arrested him in suspicion of cheating. After all, what does a chaiwalla (tea vendor) and a slum boy possibly know? Despite going through harsh tortures to make him admit his deceive, Jamal continued to persevere to prove his innocence. Watching back the recording of the show, he began to unfold how his life story allowed him to answer the apparently impossible questions without much thought. But, mystery has it as he has no intention of getting richer by entering the competition. So, to find out the reason why, the Inspector and the nation tuned in to the show when Jamal returns to answer the last question. And there they have it – it’s a matter of love.

The film begins uniquely by showing a multiple-choice question superimposed against Jamal being tortured by a police officer. What I do not like about this is that it allows the audience to foreshadow the storyline. However, the torment acts as a gimmick to the tone of the film – ominous and dark, but as it goes on, it turns out otherwise as it intermingle with humor, suspense and action. This immerses the audience’s attention and anxiousness to know what is actually happening in the movie. In addition, films with storyline that involve poor people who got rich in the end are already cliché, yet, the blend of different genres – family, gangster and action – that makes the film eclectic and brings everything to a thrilling journey. Watching this film makes you feel like a roller coaster ride; gripping in the beginning, yet entertaining at the end. You may even want to go for a second ride.

The technical aspects used in Slumdog Millionaire are notable and they are probably the reason why this movie bagged the Oscar awards. It is outstanding through the fusion of its cinematography and the editing. For instance, in the beginning sequence, as the host of the show and Jamal are introduced, we only got a clear look at them briefly through the lighting, which alternate from silhouette to side lighting of them. As the scene lit up, it shows a close-up of Jamal’s nervous face as he was brought onto the stage and a bird’s eye view of the set. It gives us an overwhelming suspense on whether this boy is ready to be in this show, let alone get through the first question. When the host of the show hit his face, the shot is cut to a scene at a police question, where Jamal was cruelly interrogated and given a tight slap too. The action and the editing helps to transit the change of scene smoothly, yet the audience still can understand what is going on.

The way the sequence are edited and arranged, which alternate between the game show and Jamal’s life story, not only portrays how he actually know the answers to the question, but it also allows us to see several stories concurrently; the pitiful state of poverty, his relationship with his brother, Salim, the temptation and danger of committing crime and the fast modernization of India. It also allows us to explore the traits of character in the movie. This way, it brings an otherwise clichéd love story to a whole new altitude. So instead of approaching a plain technique of alternating scenes of the game and his life like a ‘ping pong’ match, the mixture of stories and diverse genres bring the audience’s emotion to different levels, keeping them captivated throughout the movie.

Set in the slums of Mumbai, the mise-en-scene shows the pitiful condition of the surroundings.  It generally uses dull-coloured setting and low-key lighting to set the saddening mood towards the state of poverty. Each scene mostly begins with a wide shot to that enables us to see clearly how bad the situation was. Still, the kids are still able to enjoy life and live happily, which lets the audience to feel a mixture of feelings as they watch the movie. Furthermore, the frequent use of fast-pace editing and kinetic camera movement, such as the chasing scene between the police and the kids at the slums in the beginning adds to this blend of emotions.

The use of music also helps to arouse tension to the action. The theme music of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” is enough to set your adrenalin rushing as we witness Jamal in the hot seat of the show. During the chasing scene at the beginning and also when Jamal and Salim are escaping from the child traffickers, fast, upbeat music increase the suspense and attention. However, the dance sequence at the end was awkward. It probably serves a purpose to add to the Bollywood theme, but I think it’s unnecessary even though it enhances the happy ending.

The actors in this film are mostly non-professional, yet, their performance are remarkable indeed. The prominent ones are the young Jamal and Salim, acted by Ayush Mahesh Khedekar and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail respectively. Even though both of them are as cute as cupcake, they did a great job by showing us how their life experiences will lead to how they grow up to be; the young Salim, being the elder one, as an aggressive and dominating boy while young Jamal as a gentle and smarter one.

Being the lead actor, Dev Patel also did a good job. The first time we see him, we get the impression of him as a loser and timid person, but as the movie progresses, our perception of him changes as he becomes a hero in the end, which shows his versatility. Even though holding a minor role in the movie, Irfan Khan did a notable job being the police officer. He did not have to use much facial expression or action to show the firmness of his character, but we can certainly engage with the idea of him being an antagonist. It comes from the stare of his eyes. The same goes for Anil Kapoor who acted as the host of “Who Wats to be a Millionaire”. He was able to show his enigmatic character, being all friendly and cheery at a point and then showing his dark side on another.

All in all, I think Danny Boyle and his crew did a commendable job in making this film. They didn’t make it as just another ‘East Meets West’ themed movie, but they told the story in the exclusive way as possible, breaking up the story by alternating between then and now that could otherwise been told in a chronological order. It also imparted a message that we should not underestimate our experience, which makes us all different and unique. After all, quoting from John Legend, “Experience is a great teacher”.

I give this movie 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Slumdog Millionaire – an entertaining masterpiece for everyone to enjoy!