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 You may have heard of the little independent movie called “Slumdog Millionaire” that took the world by storm a few months ago, winning rave reviews and ultimately winning the Academy Award for best motion picture (along with a sweep of most major awards across the globe). Directed by Danny Boyle (“Trainspotting”) and starring a cast of unknowns that included overnight sensations Dev Patel and the “it” girl of the moment Freida Pinto, the film’s heart tugging story of a poor boy searching for his lost love struck a chord with the masses. That the film is also very well made and entertaining is a plus, as it takes the viewer on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Released around the time of the Mumbai terrorist attacks last year, the much renowned city was on everyone’s mind, which only increased the curiosity factor for the film, for it became a sensation as soon as it was released. Boyle must be having the last laugh now, as trades reported that not only was it hard to get the funding to make the film, but at first the plan was to release it direct to DVD. Thankfully that didn’t happen, for this film truly deserved to be seen on the silver screen by as wide an audience as possible . Now, after conquering the world of the multiplex, the film has been released on DVD, and Planet Bollywood has your inside look at the release that is a must for your DVD collection.
The Film: The wonderful screenplay by Simon Beaufoy expertly adapts the story from the original novel “Q&A” by Vikas Swarup and tells the tale of Jamal, the slumdog who is desperate to be reunited with his heart’s love, Latika. Having come from the largest slum in Asia, Dharavi, Jamal (Dev Patel) appears on the Indian version of the hit game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”. Bollywood mainstay Anil Kapoor plays the sinister host who can’t stand to see another slumdog other than himself succeed, and so he accuses Jamal of cheating, has him arrested, and thus enfolds the story of how life has taught the poor kid from the slums the answers to all the hard questions on the game show. The movie is told in a very distinct style with the present day happenings juxtaposed with flashbacks that follow Jamal’s (Dev Patel) story from when he was a boy to the present. Along with him on this journey, albeit on a darker slant is his brother Salim (the excellent Madhur Mittal) who serves both as Jamal’s protector and his antagonist as a multifaceted character that has you wondering how his character arc will end. Danny Boyle directs the film with an energy that is infectious. Each scene grabs the viewer and the ultimate effect is a film in which will leave you on the edge of your seat as it races to its inevitable conclusion. Co-director Loveleen Tandon must be mentioned as she had a big hand in casting the characters of Jamal, Salim and Latika as they age through the film from young children to young adults. Since, Danny Boyle cannot speak Hindi, Loveleen Tandon really contributed a lot to elicit the kind of performances, especially from the young children that will have you forgetting that they are not trained actors. Perhaps you’ve heard of Academy Award winning music composer A.R. Rahman? "Slumdog Millionaire" wouldn’t be half the movie it is without the excellent soundtrack provided by the maestro. Boyle knew the value of melding the visual with the aural, and wisely allowed the music to breath and serve as a focusing lens for critical moments throughout the film. I wanted to take a moment to mention the child actors Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail (Salim), Ayush Mahesh Khadekar (Jamal), Rubina Ali (adorable as the youngest Latika), Tanay Chheda (adolescent Jamal), and Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala (adolescent Salim), and Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar (adolescant Latika) who rose from the depths of Mumbai’s slums to give us a peek into their beautiful souls. I only hope they are able to use their success to someday live up to their full potential and have the lives they truly deserve. Their innocence is forever caught in this beautiful film. The cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle deserved to win the best Academy Award for his lush cinematography that captures the staccato rhythm of cultural chaos that is Mumbai. From the slums to the city itself, Mumbai becomes a leaving breathing character that interacts with all the actors.
The DVD Transfer: The single disc NTSC DVD is in widescreen with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The transfer from film to digital disc is perfect with no visible artifacts, or loss of color (and in a movie like "Slumdog Millionaire", the colors contribute a lot to the atmosphere). The Extra Features: The extra features includes witty audio commentary between Danny Boyle and Dev Patel, and it’s worth listening to the two chat about the experiences they had while filming the movie. It’s quite obvious that the two of them share a chemistry even off the screen. As an added bonus, there’s also an audio commentary featuring the producer Christian Colson and the screenplay writer Simon Beaufoy that gives some interesting insight into an often neglected side of the creative process. Both sets of audio commentary are well worth listening to. There are also about a dozen or so deleted scenes, and a lot of them are extended scenes or cut scenes featuring apna Bollywood star Anil Kapoor playing the part of the arrogant slumdog turned rich man quite well. Fans of his, should definitely check out the deleted features, for more of his work under the guidance of Danny Boyle. Other scenes expand on various important moments that happen during the film, but my favorite of the bunch has to be the extended version of the chase through the slums, where I realized that the car that the kids slam into while running away from the police man is carrying the mobster (played by Mahesh Manjrekar) that will play an important role in their lives. More than that though, instead of the movie’s final cut with the background score song, “Oh Saya”, M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” is scored in the background throughout the scene. It’s a testament to the power of music that enables a variation in the background song to completely change the pace and impact of the scene. Whereas M.I.A.’s paper planes gives the scene a slower more detached pace, the final cut’s use of Rahman’s“Oh Saya” delivers such a powerful kinetic feel to the running of the kids, that the viewer is immediately drawn into the world of the slumdog. Watch the two scenes back to back, to experience the obvious difference. Also under the special features is an interesting documentary, “Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & the making of Slumdog Millionaire”, that provides insight into the director’s experience in India. Included are interviews with Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto. Bollywood fans will be delighted or shocked to hear Anil Kapoors statement that when he got the script for the film, he never bothered to read it, citing that in Bollywood, no one reads scripts. This might explain the quality of current films in Bollywood, and it’s disheartening to hear Anil Kapoor voice the poor truth of the matter. Still, for any Bollywood fan, the Anil Kapoor segments are must viewing, for the man definitely has charisma. It was also refreshing to see the spotlight on Loveleen Tandon who I feel has not been given enough focus as co-director. Without her talented hand and guidance, the film would not be half as good as it is. The final special feature on this disc is a music video for the crossover hit, “Jai Ho” that features scenes from the beginning of the film, to the end in chronological order. All in all, the special features are a satisfying insight into the film, and worth the time spent viewing them, making the DVD a nice little package that all fans of quality cinema will want to own.
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Once in a while, creative talented people come together and create something truly special. "Slumdog Millionaire" is an inspirational movie that will rock your soul. If you’ve never seen it, what are you waiting for? If you’ve seen it already, see it again! It’s that good.