Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire

2008

Director: Danny Boyle and Loveleen Trandan

Writer: Simon Beaufoy and Vikas Swarup

120 Minutes

Slumdog Millionaire came into our lives with great international buzz, but rested in our hearts as a film which good overcomes evil, underdog triumphs, and hope. Hope, above all, that after being shit on, shot at, and subjected to brutal pain, we can win a huge sum of money and get the girl of your dreams.

We all saw this film and talked about the final scene in the train station.

“Stay for the credits, it’s worth it. Everyone dances!”

The traditional Bollywood dancing scene at the end of the movie captured the imagination that other countries, like India, have great films too. That America might not be the forefront of great entertainment, yet this is a very American movie.

American because love concurs all, David verse Goliath, and a chance to win loads of money without having to do any work. It’s why we play the lotto. It’s why romantic comedies always gross high in the box office. It’s why we watched “Deal or No Deal.” It's why we read Romeo and Juliet in high school. And it’s why Rudy was a great sports movie about the University of Notre Dame.

Slumdog is coaxed with American idealism. And that’s why we like it.

In the scene above, Jamal (Dev Patel) has won 20 million Rupee (which equals $429,184 USD) and he is a hero to the people of Mumbai. Does he throw a huge party? Does he commit to sex, drugs, and rock and roll? Does he buy a big house?

No, he comes back to the train station - alone - and waits. He waits for his true love. Because to Jamel, it wasn’t about money. It was about love.

Everyone in the country would have been his friend. Everyone would want to meet him, party with him, or use him, but he doesn’t want any of them. He only wants his soul mate.

What makes this film so important is love. Without love, you have greed, oppression, and sin. And consequently, that’s what Jamel has to go through to complete his goal.

In the end, there is a story that the DVD “Slumdog Millionaire” was sitting on an executive’s desk for months before he screened it. It was wasting away and the only reason the executive watched it was because Danny Boyle (director of “The Beach”) had some success in the box office.

It was a piece of gold waiting to be discovered. Eight pieces of gold, to be specific, in the form of the Academy Awards.

In this life, how many other pieces of gold are out there…?