For all those glowing reviews that lauded the film for its manic pace, what captured my attention was the restraint that Danny Boyle displays in almost every scene that could have been a melodramatic mess in the hands of an Indian director. Barring that uncharacteristic, anti-Amitabh’ish game show host character portrayed by Anil Kapoor, this is a thoroughly engaging film. Vikas Swarup’s story has been captured very beautifully with master touches spread all across – the hilariously shitty meeting with Bachchan, that Taj Mahal guide episode, the reunion with Latika and Jamal subsequently losing her to his own brother…amazingly concocted! Interspersing the Mumbai riots was another touching scene, while the brutal reality of Maman and his gang was equally hard hitting. The ending, despite all the clichés, stands out as a nail biter – but watching Jamal uncomfortably and nervously dancing to a jubilant Jai ho was a tad disappointing. Blame it on my fed-on-Bollywood genes – I do understand why the firangs are ecstatic though! Rahman’s score is almost the fourth musketeer and works wonders. Boyle and co-director Loveleen Tandon deliver a sweeping, almost Manmohan Desai’eqsue tribute to the rags-to-riches theme that is oh-so-Bollywood, but for that masterful restraint!
Keywords: Slumdog Millionaire, Anil Kapoor, Dev Patel, Fredia Pinto, Irfan Khan, Danny Boyle
