Released 9th January 2009
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Slumdog Millionaire is undisputedly deserving of both its Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes Gongs, and undeniably worthy of further success at the impending Oscars on 22nd February. It is not often a film comes along that completely enchants you, and takes you back to the good old days of cinema, where there was a magical energy and brilliance that left you feeling uplifted. This film does just that. It will take you utterly by surprise in one bold, brilliant, epic sweep.
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As the latest film from Danny Boyle, best known for Trainspotting and The Beach, the Brit has once again surpassed his own directive genius. This film is easily one of the best films of 2008/9.
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It’s Mumbai, India, 18-year-old Jamal (Dev Patel) is being beaten and interrogated by the police. His crime? Working his way through the tough questions on the Indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” until he’s one question away from taking home the grand prize. But Jamal’s a poor, uneducated ‘slumdog’, now working as a tea boy for a high-tech customer service firm; so just how could he know the answers - answers that left many before him stumped? And so begins the touching and inspirational story that is Slumdog Millionaire: Battered and bruised, down but not yet out, Jamal tells the cops how he knew the answers - by telling stories from his life that, unknowingly at the time, gave him the answers he needed to know to get to where he is on the show. As Jamal tells the cops, and us, his thoroughly harrowing and heartbreaking stories, we learn that he isn’t playing the game for the money, he’s playing the game for love, namely Ltika (Freida Pinto) who he believes is meant to be with. Thus, the most important question to him is not the one that will win him 20 million rupees, but that of love: will he finally be reunited and win the love of his life?
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Although this film very much has the Bollywood spirit, Danny Boyle deliberately avoided this when casting the lead. In Bollywood films the lead man is typically well-toned and very polished, but due to the nature of the character he was forced to look outside of Indian casting circles and, instead, chose our very own Dev Patel, known from his role in the Chanel 4 hit show Skins, for his lead, due to his lack of ‘obvious’ hero qualities. However, as Patel steps into his first major film role, he has now become ‘our hero’ - forgiveness, please, for that last and slightly cheesy line, but Patel is simply outstanding, and Hollywood agents have, reportedly, already snapped him up! The rest of the talent was home-grown in India and they are equally commendable in their roles. Slumdog Millionaire is a very real story of growing up in the slums of Mumbai, so the film-maker’s use of local talent, combined with the film being shot on location was integral and presents a pure and raw realism that takes on the natural energy and vibe of the city.
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Although full of heartbreak and sorrow, there is a beautiful undertone of hope and love. You will be hard-pressed not to be taken in by the spirit of this film, finding yourself on the edge of your seats, both mesmerized and completely enchanted by the magic Boyle and his team have created.
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Quite simply: You have to see this film: Now that is a statement and a half, but you really do have to see it to believe how amazing it is.
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By Rachel Baglin
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Synopsis
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The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show’s questions. Each chapter of Jamal’s increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show’s seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out. At the heart of its storytelling lies the question of how anyone comes to know the things they know about life and love.
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Film Facts
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Official UK site: http://www.slumdogmillionairemovie.co.uk/
UK Release Date: 9th January 2009
Directors: Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan (co-director: India)
Writers: Simon Beaufoy (screenplay) and Vikas Swarup (novel)
Cast: Dev Patel (‘Jamal Malik’), Madhur Mittal (‘Older Salim’), Freida Pinto (‘Latika’), Anil Kapoor (‘Prem Kumar’), Irrfan Khan (’ Police Inspector’), Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail (’ Youngest Salim’), Ayush Mahesh Khedekar (’ Youngest Jamal’).
UK Distributor: Pathe
Certificate: 15
Run-time: 89 mins
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Video on Real.com
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Trailer:
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Clips:
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Press Conference:
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Premiere:
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