Still Waiting for the Slumdog Millionaire

If there’s one thing that I like about western cinema, its the way they adapt stories in print to the screen. For instance, the adaptations of the legal thrillers of John Grisham, the Harry Potter series (or any other fantasy story), James Bond, the Dan Brown stories, Jurassic Park… and the list goes on and on. The concept of using a story that is already successful, sitting right in front of you in hardback is very common in western cinema.  Another story to join these ranks is Slumdog Millionaire.

Based on the novel ‘Q & A’ by Vikas Swarup, Slumdog Millionaire has everything that Indian cinema does not in terms of quality. Or so I am told. You see, this story is based in India, about one of the most watched game shows in India, and on top of that is also a love story. And still it has not been released in India. Ever since AR Rahman, won the Golden Globe, I have downloaded the soundtrack, read the reviews, and done everything short of attempting to watch the movie. All this because I want to give the movie the proper respect it deserves by shelling out a hundred bucks to watch it on the big screen. I have been anticipating this movie so much that I fear it will fall below my expectations once I watch it.

Well, about the movie. It is about a very young man, who despite his extremely poor and disturbed childhood, is able to answer all the questions in the game show ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ to, well, become a millionaire. But after the game, he is picked up by the police, who charge him for cheating. How could a ‘slumdog’ answer all the questions? He then goes on to explain how the answers lay in the events through his life in the slum with his brother, and their adventures.

Coming back to the Indian connection, lets start with Anil Kapoor. It seemed queer to me why Anil Kapoor had been chosen for the role when there already were Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan, people who had already proved their mettle by hosting the actual game show. But why director Danny Boyle chose Anil Kapoor is still quite a mystery. The only thing that matters is that he did his job well. Next, Irrfan Khan. I cannot remember the last English film with the least bit of an Indian connection that did not have Irrfan Khan in it. In 2007 he starred alongside Angelina Jolie, Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody in A Mighty Heart and The Darjeeling Limited. And now for the latest sensation (again) in Indian music… AR Rahman. His song ‘Jai Ho’ is being played on TV screens across the world. Personally, I also like another song titled ‘O Saya’.

There are also other Indian actors like Saurabh Shukla and Mahesh Manjrekar in the movie. The main actors, Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto, however are based in the UK.

I feel its unfair that a movie that is so close to the spirit and soul of India is being released so late. Just cant wait!