First Hit: A very original, wonderfully acted, beautifully filmed movie which created spontaneous audience applause.
At the very beginning of the film there is a question posed and four possible answers are given. At the end of the film you are given the answer.
I cannot remember when I enjoyed a new and fresh approach to a film as much as I did this one. The overall story is about Jamal a young man (mostly played by Dev Patel) who is one question away from winning 20,000,000 Rupees on an Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
Everyone questions his ability know the answers to the program’s questions because he is from the slum, the lowest class.
The boy is orphaned at about age five and has lived on the streets and in trash dumps throughout India his whole life. At the time he gets on the television program his job is serving Chai Tea to telephone marketing representatives in a boiler room.
How the young man knows the answers to the questions is explored through the story of his life. He learned through his experiences.
Although the film uses flashbacks as a way to learn about this young man’s life, I think it is was effective and kept me interested. At times it is a bit jarring to go from being in a police station to the television studio to a flashback storyline, but in the end it was a wonderful experience. Each of the main characters is played by three actors and each of them deserves credit for making this story come alive. Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan were co-directors and they got a lot out of the story and the actors, especially the young ones. I was very impressed of the shots of Mumbai and other Indian towns. Having been there they captured the sights of the slums and life of kids living in garbage dumps. It made it real.
Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I thought it was a fresh way to present a wonderful story. Also make sure you stay through the first part of the credits so that you can watch a Bollywood style dance number.