Director:
Danny Boyle
Production Company: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Cast: Dev Patel, Madhur Mittal, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan
Rating: R for some violence, disturbing images and language.
BBy Gregg Tubbs
UMC.org—Kismet is a Middle Eastern term that means “destiny” or “fate.” It can also mean “portion,” referring to the lot in life that Allah grants each person. The idea of kismet hovers over Slumdog Millionaire like an unseen character, nudging events and people this way and that, until this harrowing tale of impoverished orphans in Mumbai, India, blossoms into an exhilarating and life-affirming experience. Do you believe in fate? After seeing a tenacious street kid rise up from India’s wretched slums to compete for a fortune and true love, you might be tempted to believe that some things truly are destined to be.
Slumdog Millionaire
is being called this year’s “little film that could.” An independent film by eclectic British director Danny Boyle (
Trainspotting,
Millions),
Slumdog Millionaire is set entirely in India, with a cast mostly unknown to Americans and much of its dialogue in Hindi. But despite its distinct “foreignness,” it has been embraced by Western audiences and racking up awards, building box office momentum and becoming an Oscar front-runner for Best Picture. The key to the film's success has been the universality of the human experience so vividly portrayed—the fight for survival, dignity and love. Moreover, it's a minor miracle that a film set against crushing poverty and shocking brutality could in the end be so uplifting.
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Jamal Malik ((Dev Patel), an orphan from the slums of Mumbai, is the reigning champ on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” Copyright © 2008 Fox Searchlight Pictures.
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Slumdog tells the story of two brothers headed in different directions. Jamal is pure of heart, kind-hearted, endlessly optimistic and most of all, a romantic. Salim, the older brother, is aggressive, unsentimental, lustful and easily seduced by money and power. Add into the mix the beautiful Latika (
Freida Pinto), an orphan who becomes Jamal’s love and life-rope, but also a wedge between the brothers. As Jamal fights his way out of the slums into an honest, but meager life of odd jobs, Salim drifts deeper into crime, eventually becoming “muscle” for a ruthless Mumbai gangster. (Audiences are cautioned that there are scenes of violence, but none of it is overly graphic or gratuitous. Each event makes Jamal’s fated triumph all the more sweet.)
The story also borrows from Dickens—Oliver Twist meets Bollywood—with its class struggle, focus on poverty, and cast of beggars and pickpockets. There’s even a Fagin-like slumlord who lures Salim, Jamal and Latika into his “orphanage,” which turns out to be a school for beggars.
We first meet Jamal Malik ((Dev Patel) on what should be the biggest day of his life. He is the reigning champ on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and just one question away from winning a staggering 20,000,000 rupees. Rather than celebrating, we witness him being cruelly interrogated by the local police on suspicion of cheating. They and the show's producers believe cheating is the only way the 18-year-old orphan from the slums (“slumdog”) could have known the answers. Through vibrant flashbacks, we learn about Jamal and his brother Salim, and how their hardscrabble life has uncannily put them in the places and in contact with people that enabled him to know the answers. Jamal is not educated or cultured, but seems assisted by an unseen hand.
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Above all, Slumdog Millionaire is a love story, and Jamal's (Dev Patel) ultimate prize is finding his lost love Latika (Freida Pinto). Copyright © 2008 Fox Searchlight Pictures.
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As the interrogation goes on, the police begin to be moved by Jamal’s rags-to-riches story, but are also curious about why this young man, who is apparently uninterested in money, has put himself so resolutely through this ordeal. That’s where we see that above all,
Slumdog Millionaire is a love story, and the true prize is being reunited with his lost love Latika.
Slumdog
is rich in themes, both basic and complex. It’s an exuberant celebration of perseverance and the triumph of the morally sound. The film also explores the power of love to lift us out of dire circumstances, and of course, the possibility of destiny. It also raises the question of moral relativism. As an audience, we see how it easy it is to cheer as desperate orphans steal and deceive in order to survive, knowing that circumstance has left them little other choice. Is their thieving right? That’s for you to decide, but you may feel differently once you walk a while in Jamal’s stolen shoes.
Maybe it’s the theme of victory over adversity that makes Slumdog Millionaire the perfect film for these times. During stressful times of geopolitical strife and financial insecurity, it is comforting to feel a protecting, guiding hand from above. Just as in the Great Depression when Hollywood musicals and screwball comedies dominated the screen; uplifting, joyful films provide more than escapism: they bring solace and assurance that better times are ahead.
Study Questions
- Slumdog Millionaire’s setting is exotic. Did you find that made the film hard to identify with? Or did its exotic location enhance the experience?
- Jamal and Salim’s mother was attacked because she was a Muslim. In India, the majority of people are practicing Hindus. Why does being in a minority—particularly a religious minority—often make one the subject of hatred, violence and misunderstanding? How should Christians treat those who are of different religions?
- What was the symbolism of the scene at the public bathroom where Jamal jumps in the sewage? What does this tell us about his character? Is he likely to give up easily?
- How are Jamal and Salim different? What did we learn about them during the scene when they took refuge from the rain in the railroad car? What did their treatment of Latika say about each of them? Read Proverbs 11:28. Which brother does this verse best describe?
- Did you disapprove of the brothers stealing to survive? Do you believe some things are forgivable during desperate circumstances? Have you ever done something like that in a difficult situation?
- What does the film say about poverty? Is it easy to fall into it? Is it difficult to escape? How should we respond to the problem of poverty, both as citizens and as Christians?
- Although the film was set in the non-Christian world, did you see universal values portrayed, particularly in Jamal? Where did you see love, faith and kindness in the film?
- The idea of fate factors strongly into the film. Do you think Jamal’s victory was a coincidence? The result of his own merits? Or did you see a guiding hand at work?
- Do you believe in fate? Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt God’s hand touching your life?
- Do you believe God has a plan for creation? Does God have a plan for you? (See Prov. 16:9 and Eccl 3:1-3.)
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