SLUMDOG SENSATION

SARAH FRANCIS on an Anglo-Indian triumph

Slumdog Millionaire is a must see movie. It’s directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy and stars Dev Patel from the Channel Four show Skins playing the main character Jamal.

Jamal is an 18 year old boy from the slums of Mumbai who finds himself in the hot seat of the Indian version of the TV show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Answering all his questions correctly, Jamal is well on his way to winning 20 million rupees, but is he doing it only for the money?

The show’s host Prem Kumar, played by Anil Kapoor, refuses to believe that this poor, slum born kid genuinely knows the answers and must be cheating.

So the minute the show has run out of time, Prem has Jamal arrested and taken to the police station.

Forced to go through each question again and explain how he knew the answers, Jamal’s life story begins to unfold and this is the device used to keep us on the edge of our seats throughout.

There are a many twists, turns and tragedies in this film, but it is definitely a feel good rags-to- riches drama, which has already been given top ratings by the film critics, won four Golden Globe awards and is a UK smash hit.

Dev Patel’s performance is brilliant and his BAFTA nomination for best male actor, competing with the likes of Brad Pitt, has definitely proved his talent at a young age.

He is surely well on his way to a successful film career.

His Mumbai based co-star Freida Pinto plays his love interest Latika and is up for best supporting actress at the BAFTAS. She has had minor roles before, but Slumdog is most definitely her starring debut.

Slumdog Millionaire stands out because it has Bollywood and Hollywood elements mixed together, something that’s totally new.

And the locations, content and style of the film are pretty unique too.

A great directing job from Danny Boyle.