Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
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A young man from the slums of Mumbai finds himself in the spotlight of a high-stakes game show, where his life story becomes the key to his survival.
The story
In the Mumbai slums, 18-year-old Jamal Malik and his brother Salim have survived a harsh life of poverty and hardship. When Jamal becomes a contestant on the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, he shocks the audience by answering complex questions with ease. As he nears the grand prize, he is accused of cheating by the authorities. To clear his name, Jamal must recount his life story to the police, revealing the desperate circumstances and personal experiences that allowed him to know the answers to the questions posed on the show.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film follows Jamal and his brother Salim, who grew up in the Juhu slums of Mumbai. After their mother's death and a period of hardship, they were separated from their friend Latika, who was taken by a criminal. Years later, Jamal works as a call center employee while Salim becomes a criminal enforcer. Jamal eventually reunites with Latika but they are separated again by circumstances. During a high-stakes game show, Jamal's success leads to his arrest for cheating. He explains his past to the police, who then allow him to return to the show. In the final moments, Jamal uses a lifeline to contact Salim, who is being hunted by a crime boss. Salim sacrifices himself to ensure Latika's safety. On the final question, Jamal correctly identifies the third musketeer, wins the grand prize, and reunites with Latika at a train station.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Danny Boyle
- Writers
- Simon Beaufoy · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Dev Patel · Jamal; Freida Pinto · Latika; Madhur Mittal · Salim Malik; Anil Kapoor · Prem Kumar; Irrfan Khan · Police Inspector
- Genres
- drama; coming-of-age; teen drama; masala
- Themes
- poverty; fate; romance; identity
- Tone and mood
- dramatic; heartbreaking; exhilarating
- Premise and plot tags
- rags-to-riches; game show; underdog; urban survival
- Source material / true-story basis
- Q & A (2005) by Vikas Swarup
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film was widely acclaimed and won several major awards, though its portrayal of Indian poverty was controversial and met with mixed reactions in India.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 91% · scale: percentage · review count: 290; Metacritic · score: 86 · scale: 100 · review count: 36
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Picture · won; Academy Award · Best Director · won; Academy Award · Best Adapted Screenplay · won; Academy Award · Best Original Score · won; Academy Award · Best Original Song · won; BAFTA Award · Best Film · won; Critics' Choice Award · Best Picture · won
- Production trivia
- The film was the first to take full advantage of the SI-2K digital camera.; A musical adaptation of the film is in the works.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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