I went in with high expectations and came out feeling disappointed. Its a Bollywood flick made in English with a narrative calculated to shock the sensibilities, and therefore, arouse the sympathy of a Western audience. Imagine the worst things that could happen to human being in his life before he turns 18. He is orphaned, forced to beg, narrowly escapes being maimed, his brother rapes the girl he loves, he becomes a chaiwallah, and then wins "Who wants to be a millionaire" because he knows the answers to the exact questions he's asked on the show, through "life lessons".
There are a couple of Jokes that you need to have a knowledge of Indian culture and history to get. Like Surdas being the author of the Bhajan the blind kid is forced to sing...which is entitled..Darshan de bhagwan. And there is a gross scene in which the kid Jamal jumps into a pile of poop so he can get the Big B's autograph. And Anil Kapoor is awesome as the the obnoxious host of the game show. But ever since Taal, Anil Kapoor has always done those larger than life roles justice. For the rest, Dev Patel looks like the hapless kid he is. Freida Pinto has a meaty role that she doesn't do enough with. Irrfan Khan is amazing...as usual.
But on the whole..the movie was a letdown. I have no doubt the Western audiences lapped it up. From the clapping and cheering in the movie theatre, I got the feeling they really liked it. And, btw, its been consistently selling out at least on weekends at the theatre where I usually go that shows independent movies. Its the whole hungry, naked, exploited Indian kids' theme. Glorify the slums, the shit that lies everywhere, the heaps of garbage, the gangs of evil men who force children into begging and prostitution. Throw in a love story. And voila. One very touching movie with excellent reviews that may even bag a few Oscars.
But, my disappointment with the movie apart, how the heck did a gali-ka-kutta with no education manage to speak such good English? The least they could've done is made the movie in Hindi. His accented English makes it all the more unbelievable.
There are a couple of Jokes that you need to have a knowledge of Indian culture and history to get. Like Surdas being the author of the Bhajan the blind kid is forced to sing...which is entitled..Darshan de bhagwan. And there is a gross scene in which the kid Jamal jumps into a pile of poop so he can get the Big B's autograph. And Anil Kapoor is awesome as the the obnoxious host of the game show. But ever since Taal, Anil Kapoor has always done those larger than life roles justice. For the rest, Dev Patel looks like the hapless kid he is. Freida Pinto has a meaty role that she doesn't do enough with. Irrfan Khan is amazing...as usual.
But on the whole..the movie was a letdown. I have no doubt the Western audiences lapped it up. From the clapping and cheering in the movie theatre, I got the feeling they really liked it. And, btw, its been consistently selling out at least on weekends at the theatre where I usually go that shows independent movies. Its the whole hungry, naked, exploited Indian kids' theme. Glorify the slums, the shit that lies everywhere, the heaps of garbage, the gangs of evil men who force children into begging and prostitution. Throw in a love story. And voila. One very touching movie with excellent reviews that may even bag a few Oscars.
But, my disappointment with the movie apart, how the heck did a gali-ka-kutta with no education manage to speak such good English? The least they could've done is made the movie in Hindi. His accented English makes it all the more unbelievable.
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