Monday 2 February 2009

Film: Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Slumdog Millionaire

It has been such a long time since I have unreservedly given a film a 10/10 score and I am thrilled to give Slumdog Millionaire just that. This is the uplifting story of a Mumbai teenager who has grown up in the slums and goes on to become a contestant on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?".

The film is beautifully acted and scripted and I enjoyed every single minute of it. The cinematography is amazing and both the score and the soundtrack are beautiful. The film is two hours long but I certainly did not notice the length; in fact, I thought it was just perfect. It deserves all ten Oscar nominations, the Golden Globe for best motion picture (drama) as well as the host of other nominations and wins awarded so far.

The cast won a SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture but there are two performances which, for me, deserve mention.

Tanay Hemant Chheda

Tanay Hemant Chheda is amazing in his performance as "middle" Jamal. I thought he gave a considered and tender performance and I hope we get to see more of this fine young actor in the future.

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Dev Patel says that he acted in Skins for a bit of a laugh and he didn't take it too seriously. Well, after winning 7 awards and being nominated for another five (so far), I have a feeling we'll all be taking this talented young actor very seriously in the future. He is fantastic in Slumdog Millionaire.

There has been a lot of controversy about the film lately and a lot of reviewers slated the predictability of the film and it's feel-good tone. As always the question for me is whether I enjoyed the time that I spent watching the film and the answer is a resounding "yes". This is the type of film that made me fall in love with gong to the movies in the first place.

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6 comments

  1. Thanks for that review once again!

    I've yet to watch Slumdog and am still deciding whether to catch it on the big screen or on dvd. But will definitely do it one way or another.

    I've got absolutely no quarrels with the feel-good factor. I mean, why else would I want to pay to watch a film that totally depicts reality when it is unfolding in front of my eyes.

    I want to be able to walk out of the cinema, well, feeling good. Cheers and hope that you're not too affected by the snow blanketing London today.

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  2. I'm glad you liked the review - that of course is always nice to hear.

    I would recommend the big screen as it has subtitles in many parts but they are very well done so a small screen would work. Also, it is a beautiful film with great cinematography so make sure you at least watch it on a widescreen TV!

    And you are so right about the feel good factor. It is why we go to movies!

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  3. THX 4 UR encouraging comment on my movie blog. I CAN'T wait to watch this movie!!!! :-D

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  4. @ Amel: Thanks for stopping by! How do you find today.com? I was thinking of moving my current affairs blog over there but a couple of things worry me:
    - the advertising on the blogs
    - not being able to use Windows Live Writer to update
    - the comments process (I like how blogger emails you).

    Do you really make enough money to make it all worth it?

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  5. watch it as a story or movie......not as a story of India....... its a good movie with all the content which makes it a entertaining movie but i truely believe its not a oscar winning movie......but wat the hell....... it got Rahman two oscars....

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  6. Really Hitesh? Did you not think it was accurate about India at all?

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