Movie review: Slumdog Millionaire

Very few times does one get to experience such a thing. The exhilaration, the awe and the mesmerization brought forth by experiencing something you very soon realize is extra-ordinary. In these times when Mumbai and the country reels under troubled times, comes a story set in the same city, that talks of hope, love and the human spirit.

Slumdog Millionaire, based on the book Q & A by Vikas Swarup, is from the very beginning impressive. The strongest point of the film would have been the story, but the way it has been executed probably takes that crown away from it. Intelligently crafted by Danny Boyle, from an angle it almost seems like escapist bollywood masala with all the ingredients thrown in.

The director puts the real harsh life in the slums of Mumbai on reel. He is so truthful you wish you never knew it was that bad. The pace of the story is great and there is not a single idle second, making you feel the chill, twitch your eyebrows and put a smile with effortless ease. Camera work is award worthy, watch the starting sequence of kids running in slums, on roof tops, garbage and what not with the camera capturing all the zing through angles you wouldn't dream of.

Music by A R Rehman, period. He is a brilliant background music designer. Actors are competent, the protagonist, Jamal Mallik, played by Dev Patel, does an outstanding act. Anil Kapoor shows the colors with subtlety, Irfan Khan has very little screen time.

Touted to be the best picture award winner, I would be surprised if it doesn't.