Slumdog Millionaire Review

Slumdog Millionaire has been receiving rave reviews and coveted awards ever since its premiere. Directed by Danny Boyle of Trainspotting fame, Slumdog Milliomaire is a rags-to-riches story, dwelling for the greater part on the rags period of the protagonist's life.

Orphaned by religious wars on the streets of Mumbai, a young kid wanders around aimlessly in search of food and shelter. A series of lucky coincidences keep him alive; by the time he reaches his teens, he is doing a bunch of odd jobs to for his livelihood. The troubles this child experiences are quite moving and hard hitting, and his escape each time comes as a relief. As a child, he manages to flee (a) from a bad guy who blinds orphans and forces them into begging, (b) from a locked room where he is covered with excrement and (c) from a whole lot of vile situations. Each situation leaves you gasping and praying that children should not have to go through such torture and tribulations in real life.

As a brazen brash confident teenager, he lands an opportunity to participate in a TV quiz programme leading to a huge cash award. Given his impoverished background and lack of formal education, it's quite astonishing that he manages to get through round after round in the quiz. The quiz show host and sponsors think he is cheating his way to the reward, so he is imprisoned and tortured to confess. What is the truth? What does he reveal? Only a visit to the theatre will tell you!

Dev Patel, the debutant lead player, has already been showered with praise for his performance and has even won an award in the UK. Dev shows a lot of promise and enthusiasm for acting. Appearing as the quiz show host, Bollywood veteran Anil Kapoor makes quite an impact. Danny Boyle has garnered his own set of awards for his efforts and critics say an Oscar could be on its way.

The movie is currently playing in cinemas across the US and UK and will hits screens in India in January.