Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Directors:

Danny Boyle
Loveleen Tandan (co-director: India)

Writers:

Simon Beaufoy (screenplay)
Vikas Swarup (novel)

Release Date:

23 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love and money... You have mixed them both.

Plot:

A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers.

Plot Keywords:

Question | Cheating | Slum | 2000s | Millionaire

Awards:

Won 8 Oscars. Another 93 wins & 40 nominations

Cast

Dev Patel	...	Jamal K. Malik
Saurabh Shukla	...	Sergeant Srinivas
Anil Kapoor	...	Prem
Rajendranath Zutshi	...	Director (as Raj Zutshi)
Jeneva Talwar	...	Vision Mixer
Freida Pinto	...	Latika
Irrfan Khan	...	Police Inspector
Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail	...	Youngest Salim
Ayush Mahesh Khedekar	...	Youngest Jamal
Jira Banjara	...	Airport Security Guard (as Hira Banjara)
Sheikh Wali	...	Airport Security Guard
Mahesh Manjrekar	...	Javed
Sanchita Choudhary	...	Jamal's Mother
Himanshu Tyagi	...	Mr Nanda
Sharib Hashmi	...	Prakash
Virendra Chatterjee	...	Slum Man
Feroze Khan	...	Amitabh Bachchan
Sunil Kumar Agrawal	...	Mr Chi (as Sunil Aggarwal)
Virender Kumar	...	Man on Fire (as Virender Kumar Gharu)
Devesh Rawal	...	Blue Boy
Rubina Ali	...	Youngest Latika
Ankur Vikal	...	Maman
Tiger	...	Punnoose
Chirag Parmar	...	Young Arvind
Nazneen Shaikh	...	Baby
Farzana Ansari	...	Latika's Friend
Anupam Shyam	...	Old Villager
Salim Chaus	...	Ticket Collector
Singh Shera Family	...	Family in Train
Harvinder Kaur	...	Family in Train
Narendra Singh Bhati	...	Family in Train (as Narendra Singh)
Tanay Chheda	...	Middle Jamal (as Tanay Hemant Chheda)
Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala	...	Middle Salim
Satya Mudgal	...	Taj Mahal Guide
Janet de Vigne	...	Ada / Mrs MacKintosh
William Relton	...	Peter
David Gilliam	...	Clark
Mia Drake Inderbitzin	...	Adele (as Mia Inderbitzin)
Kinder Singh	...	Driver
Christine Matovich Singh	...	Opera Singer
Thomas Lehmkuhl	...	Opera Singer
Siddesh Patil	...	Older Arvind
Najma Shaikh	...	Woman at Brothel
Saeeda Shaikh	...	Woman at Brothel
Alka Satpute	...	Woman at Brothel
Tabassum Khan	...	Woman at Brothel
Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar	...	Middle Latika
Sitaram Panchal	...	Dance Teacher
Nigel Caesar	...	Hotel Security Guard
Ajit Pandey	...	Javed's Goon
Kedar Thapar	...	Javed's Goon
Amit Leonard	...	Javed's Goon
Rajesh Kumar	...	Javed's Goon
Sagar Ghopalkar	...	Javed's Goon
Pradeep Solanki	...	Javed's Goon
Abdul Hamid Sheikh	...	Javed's Goon (as Hamid Sheikh)
Dheeraj Waghela	...	Javed's Goon
Shruti Seth	...	Call Centre Instructor (as Shruti S Seth)
Arfi Lamba	...	Bardi
Taira Colah	...	Nasreen
Varun Bagri	...	Call Centre Trainee
Ankur Tewari	...	Dave
Anjum Sharma	...	Operator
Madhur Mittal	...	Older Salim
Sarfaraz Khan	...	Autorickshaw Driver
Syed Fazal Hussain	...	Autorickshaw Driver (as Syed Hussain)
Umar Khan	...	Autorickshaw Driver
Imran Hasnee	...	Javed's House Doorkeeper
Homai Billimoria	...	KBC Contestant
Udayan Baijal	...	Cricket Commentator
Sandeep Kaul	...	Floor Manager
Rufee Ahmed	...	Double for Irrfan Khan
Rhea Lawyer	...	TV Reporter
Deepali Dalvi	...	Dancer at Javed's Safehouse
Anisha Nagar	...	Dancer at Javed's Safehouse
Farrah Shaikh	...	Dancer at Javed's Safehouse
Mamta Sharma	...	Dancer at Javed's Safehouse
Neha M. Khatarawalla	...	Dancer at Javed's Safehouse
Tanya Singh	...	Newsreader
Anand Tiwari	...	Newsreader
Faezeh Jalali	...	Newsreader
Meghana Jhalani	...	Newsreader
Rupali Mehra	...	Newsreader
Anju Singh	...	Newsreader
Saurabh Agarwal	...	Call Centre Manager
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mark Boucher	...	Himself - South African Cricketer (archive footage)
Andre Nel	...	Himself - South African Cricketer (archive footage)
Yuvraj Singh	...	Himself - Indian Cricketer (archive footage)
Sachin Tendulkar	...	Himself - Indian Cricketer (archive footage)

Directed by
Danny Boyle
Loveleen Tandan		(co-director: India)

Writing credits
Simon Beaufoy		(screenplay)
Vikas Swarup		(novel "Q & A")

Produced by
Christian Colson	....	producer
François Ivernel	....	co-executive producer
Ivana Mackinnon	....	associate producer
Cameron McCracken	....	co-executive producer
Tabrez Noorani	....	line producer
Paul Ritchie	....	co-producer
Tessa Ross	....	executive producer
Paul Smith	....	executive producer

Original Music by
A.R. Rahman

Cinematography by
Anthony Dod Mantle

Film Editing by
Chris Dickens

Casting by
Gail Stevens
Loveleen Tandan

Production Design by
Mark Digby

Art Direction by
Abhishek Redkar

Set Decoration by
Michelle Day

Costume Design by
Suttirat Anne Larlarb

Makeup Department
Virginia Holmes	....	hair designer
Virginia Holmes	....	makeup designer
Natasha Nischol	....	hair designer
Natasha Nischol	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Lucie Graves	....	post-production supervisor
Jennifer Wynne	....	production manager: UK

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Raj Acharya	....	first assistant director
Avani Batra	....	second assistant director
Shyam Kaushal	....	action director (as Sham Kaushal)
Yugandhar S. Narvekar	....	third assistant director
Sonia Nemawarkar	....	second second assistant director
Rohit Ved Prakash	....	first assistant director: second unit
Tanya Singh	....	second assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Kathy Heaser	....	graphic artist
Brendan Houghton	....	storyboard artist
Aditya Kanwar	....	stand-by art director
Andrew Tapper	....	graphic designer
Marc Knapton	....	computer graphics (uncredited)

Sound Department
Hugo Adams	....	foley editor
Niv Adiri	....	sound effects editor
Ben Barker	....	sound effects editor
Peter Burgis	....	foley artist
Ricky Butt	....	foley artist
Jayesh Dhakan	....	adr recordist (Hindi version)
Gillian Dodders	....	supervising dialogue editor
Thomas Dodgson	....	consultant: dolby film sound
Danny Freemantle	....	assistant sound editor
Glenn Freemantle	....	sound designer
Glenn Freemantle	....	supervising sound editor
Steve Haynes	....	adr recordist
Lee Herrick	....	dialogue editor
Adam Mendez	....	foley recordist
Resul Pookutty	....	adr mixer
Resul Pookutty	....	sound mixer
Richard Pryke	....	sound re-recording mixer
Vivek Sachidanand	....	additional sound recordist
Tom Sayers	....	co-supervising sound editor
Tom Sayers	....	sound designer
Adam Scrivener	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Jack Stew	....	foley artist
Ian Tapp	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Shivananda R. Mohili	....	special effects supervisor (as Shivananda Mohili)

Visual Effects by
Matthew Bristowe	....	digital lab producer: MPC
Stefan Ciupek	....	digital camera supervisor
James Cundill	....	online editor
Nick Drew	....	visual effects production manager: CIS London
Paddy Eason	....	digital compositor: CIS London
David Emeny	....	digital compositor: CIS London
Adam Gascoyne	....	visual effects supervisor
Warwick Hewett	....	assistant vfx producer: Rushes
Simon Hughes	....	compositor: CIS London
Tom Kemplen	....	visual effects editor
Begoña Lopez	....	digital lab producer: MPC
Hugh Macdonald	....	senior digital compositor: CIS London
Collette Nunes	....	visual effects editor: CIS London
Roma O'Connor	....	visual effects executive producer
Jonathan Opgenhaffen	....	matte painter: CIS London
Jesse Parkhill	....	digital compositor
Matthew Redding	....	visual effects artist: DEAD
Becky Roberts	....	visual effects producer
David Wahlberg	....	digital compositor: CIS London
Pat Wintersgill	....	on-line editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Telfer Barnes	....	first assistant camera
Udita Bhargava	....	assistant camera
Stefan Ciupek	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Mulchand Dedhia	....	gaffer: India
Mrinal Desai	....	cinematographer: second unit
Ishika Mohan	....	still photographer
G. Monic Kumar	....	first assistant camera
Thomas Neivelt	....	gaffer
Gyanendra Pratap	....	digital media Manager
Satish Venkataramana	....	second assistant camera

Casting Department
Kelly Valentine Hendry	....	casting associate
Swapnil Kore	....	casting assistant
Rhea Lawyer	....	casting assistant
Meredith Tucker	....	additional casting: North America (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Riyaz Ali Merchant	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Udayan Baijal	....	assistant editor
Matthew Bristowe	....	digital intermediate supervisor
Paul A. Byrne	....	telecine dailies colorist
Celia Haining	....	assembly editor
Tom Kemplen	....	second assistant editor
Begoña Lopez	....	digital intermediate supervisor
Vivek Pratap	....	assembly editor
Catriona Richardson	....	first assistant editor
Anuradha Singh	....	assembly editor
Jean-Clement Soret	....	colorist

Music Department
Niv Adiri	....	music editor
Gulzar	....	lyricist
Noel James	....	music coordinator
Pravin Mani	....	arrangement & programming
Aditya Modi	....	music engineer
Simon Mortimer	....	music associate
Srinivas Murthy	....	music assistant (as Srinivasa Murty)
Srinivas Murthy	....	vocal supervisor (as Srinivasa Murty)
A.R. Rahman	....	music producer
Andy Richards	....	original score mixer
Tanvi Shah	....	playback singer
H. Sridhar	....	music engineer
Viviane	....	music engineer

Transportation Department
Bhawani Singh	....	transportation manager (uncredited)

Other crew
Nazar Abbas	....	director: behind-the-scenes
Maxima Basu	....	assistant: director
Paresh Behera	....	production accountant
Thom Berryman	....	media transfer engineer
Neil Calder	....	completion guarantor: Film Finances Inc.
Stefan Ciupek	....	post production consultant
Tonia Cohen	....	script clearance
Matt Curtis	....	title designer
Navit Dutt	....	location manager
Ollie Gatehouse	....	post production assistant
Juliette Howell	....	script editor
Sam Lavender	....	developmental editor: Film4
Diarmuid McKeown	....	production executive
Debbie Moore	....	finance controller
Chirag Nihalani	....	key production assistant
George Pank	....	business affairs: Pathe
Gyanendra Pratap	....	media management
Rakesh Singh	....	production coordinator
Helen Varty	....	assistant: Tessa Ross
Longiness Fernandes	....	choreographer (uncredited)
Longiness Fernandes	....	choreographer: "Jai Ho" dance sequence (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Celador Films (presents)
• Film4 (presents)
• Pathé Pictures International

Distributors

• Fox Searchlight Pictures (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• International Film Distribution Consultants (2008-2009) (Non-USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2009) (Canada) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2009) (Canada) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Ablo (2009) (Romania) (all media)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (2009) (Greece) (all media)
• Bazuca Films (2009) (Chile) (all media)
• Bontonfilm (2009) (Czech Republic) (all media)
• Castello Lopes Multimedia (2009) (Portugal) (all media)
• Cinéart (2008) (Belgium) (all media)
• Cinéart (2009) (Netherlands) (all media)
• Distribution Company (2009) (Argentina) (all media)
• EDKO Film (2009) (Hong Kong) (all media)
• Europa Filmes (2009) (Brazil) (all media)
• FS Film Oy (2009) (Finland) (all media)
• Fox STAR Studios (2009) (India) (all media)
• GAGA (2009) (Japan) (all media)
• Golden Village Pictures (2009) (Singapore) (all media)
• Home Box Office (HBO) (2009) (USA) (TV)
• IPA Asia Pacific (2009) (Thailand) (all media)
• Icon Film Distribution (2008) (Australia) (all media)
• Lev Films (2009) (Israel) (all media)
• Lucky Red (2008) (Italy) (all media)
• Mediasoft Films (2008) (South Korea) (all media)
• Monolith Plus (2008) (Poland) (all media)
• Monopole-Pathé (2008) (Switzerland) (all media)
• Myndform (2009) (Iceland) (all media)
• Pathé Distribution (2008) (UK) (all media)
• Pathé (2009) (France) (all media)
• Phars Film (2009) (Middle East) (all media)
• Pinema (2008) (Turkey) (all media)
• Prokino Filmverleih (2008) (Germany) (all media)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2008) (Scandinavia) (all media)
• Twin Pics (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Viva International Pictures (2009) (Philippines) (all media)
• Vizion (2009) (Hungary) (all media)
• Volga (2009) (Russia) (all media)

Special Effects

• CIS London
• Rushes Post Production (end credits)

Other Companies

• Pille Filmgeräteverleih  camera equipment provided by
• A.M. Studios  music recorded at (as AM Studios)
• AP  titles
• ARRI Media  camera and grip equipment provided by
• Anvil Post Production  foley recording
• Dead  post-production services
• Fatts  post-production script services
• Fuji Photo Film  motion picture film supplied by
• Gearbox Sound and Vision  Avid Adrenalines and Avid Unity LanShare LP supplied by
• Gearbox Sound and Vision  editing equipment
• Goldcrest Post Production London  adr recording (as Goldcrest Post Production)
• HireWorks  film equipment
• Interscope Records  soundtrack
• J & E Post Production  post-production consultant
• KM Musiq Studio  music recorded at
• Lights & Grips Equipment Hirers India  grip and lighting equipment
• Modern VideoFilm  post-production facilities
• Moving Picture Company (MPC)  digital film mastering
• Nirvana Studio  music recorded at
• Out of Eden  score mixed at
• Panalux  lighting consumables
• Panchthan Recording Inn, Chennai  music recorded at (as Panchathan Record Inn)
• Pinewood Studios Group, The  sound re-recording
• Pinewood Studios  sound re-recording
• Pixion  telecine services
• Professional Negative Cutting  negative management
• Smart DV  editing equipment
• Sound 24  sound editing and post production

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Hindi

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44838) | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Czech Republic:15 | New Zealand:R13 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Norway:11 | India:A (cinema release) | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:NC-16 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Netherlands:12 | South Africa:13V | Brazil:16 | South Korea:15 | Peru:14 | Argentina:16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Germany:12 | Japan:PG-12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Belgium:KT | Mexico:B | Iceland:12 | New Zealand:R16 (DVD rating) | France:U

Filming Locations:

Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Company:

Celador Films

Trivia:

The first Best Cinematography Oscar winner to be predominantly shot in digital. This is also the first Best Picture Oscar winner since 1928 not to be shot on Kodak film (35mm segments were filmed on Fuji stocks).

Goofs:

Plot holes: At the very end of the movie, after he wins the show and become famous on TV, Jamal waits for Latika in a train station. Yet none of the passers-by notices that he is the winner of the show and consequently a millionaire.

Quotes:

Latika: You want to do something for me?
Jamal Malik: Anything.
Latika: Then forget me!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Soup: (2009-04-03)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Gluck: No.43 (AIR) (Orphée et Eurydice)

A stunning achievement: The best film of the year and one of the most exhilarating film-going experiences

I won't see a better, more exhilarating movie this year than Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire." If Academy voters have any sense, they will nominate this for Best Picture and Best Director and then vote overwhelmingly for it for both awards.

Boyle has taken what is essentially a story about a young man on India's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" and transformed it into a gritty, realistic, powerful and, at times, gut-wrenching fairy tale. It's a Dickensian picture about a world rarely, if ever, seen in mainstream movies, a film that grabs us from the opening frame and doesn't let go until the credits roll at the end.

This is why I love movies. Films like "Slumdog Millionaire" are rare. They are things of beauty, works of art that make me fall in love with movies all over again. Boyle has done it twice. First with "Millions" (2004), which also, coincidentally, was about a young boy and money; and now with "Slumdog Millionaire."

This is Boyle's masterpiece - a stunningly original piece of film-making.

Every once in a while there is a sleeper film, usually an independent movie, that comes along, takes everyone by surprise, then gets terrific word of mouth and becomes a huge success. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (2002), "Little Miss Sunshine" (2006) - though I did not care much for it - and "Juno" (2007) are such films. But, frankly, those films can't hold a candle to "Slumdog Millionaire."

What might surprise many viewers is that a third of the dialogue is in Hindi. (And Boyle's placement of subtitles on the screen makes such good sense!) Please do not let that dissuade you from seeing this marvelous film. Do not let the R rating prevent you, either. What was the MPAA thinking? Honestly! There are far more offensive, vulgar and violent movies that are rated PG-13. "Slumdog Millionaire" should never have received an R rating. (This film should be mandatory viewing for young people, especially those in industrialized nations.)

Simon Beaufoy's script was originally entirely in English, but Boyle's decision to have the Indian kids speak in Hindi, instead, is the right call. Having the children speaking in their native tongue makes perfect sense, especially because Boyle and Beaufoy depicts the realism of the kids' lives.

That's what incredible about this film. Boyle and Beaufoy do not shy away from showing the squalor of Bombay. These kids live in deplorable conditions amid the grime, sewers and trash dumps of the slums. And, yet, thanks of Boyle true ingenuity, he creates uplifting and even humorous moments in the slums. There is one moment - and I shan't spoil it for anyone, but you will know it when you see it - that very well might be my favorite film moment in the last five years.

Boyle doesn't do a thing wrong here. From his choice of actors to the music to his choice of colors, Boyle works his magic.

The performances are uniformly good. Irrfan Khan finds the right balance between a tormentor and a quasi-father figure as the police officer. There's young Dev Patel as Jamal, playing with confidence, bringing a wonderful swagger to his role, as well as a sense of fear that we completely understand. Freida Pinto as the love interest is superb. And, of course, there are the three young 'uns. Perfectly cast, they actually make the film work. Their performances as Jamal, Salim and Latika are so utterly convincing that they completely draw us into the picture and make the jobs of the older actors playing them much easier.

"Slumdog Millionaire" is, I suppose, a dramatic comedy at heart. But it is also much more. It is a film about friendship, gratitude, love, betrayal, poverty and hope. It makes you laugh, weep and cheer as you can't help but marvel at Boyle's sheer genius.

The film moves along at a breakneck pace, yet none of the cinematic flair - and there is plenty - seems superfluous. Everything Boyle does, including the Bollywood touches, makes sense. There's such a brilliantly kinetic energy to this film that it is impossible not to be enthralled by it.

What Boyle has done is truly miraculous. He has turned a film about street life in Bombay into a visceral, genuine crowd-pleaser. And you will walk out of the movie theater feeling inspired and hopeful, knowing you've just seen something very special.

"Slumdog Millionaire" is not to be missed. It is the best movie of the year. And it is, without any doubt, one of the ten best films of the decade.