INTRODUCTION
‘Slum dog Millionaire’ is a product of Celador films production, the movie is produced by, Christian Colson and directed by Danny Boyle,it has its setting in Mumbai. This movie is unique in many aspects, one of which is the fact that unlike many movies, the actions in this movie are retrogressing. It starts from the final scene when we are told that Jamal Malik is one question away from winning 20 million rupees and the options are: he cheated, he’s lucky, he’s a genius, it is written. The main movie begins from here as we get to see all that transpires before this.
The major characters in this movie are: Jamal, Salim and Latika.The movie centers around these three people (each of them had their roles acted by three different people to show their developmental stages).
‘Slum dog Millionaire’ is a product of Celador films production, the movie is produced by, Christian Colson and directed by Danny Boyle,it has its setting in Mumbai. This movie is unique in many aspects, one of which is the fact that unlike many movies, the actions in this movie are retrogressing. It starts from the final scene when we are told that Jamal Malik is one question away from winning 20 million rupees and the options are: he cheated, he’s lucky, he’s a genius, it is written. The main movie begins from here as we get to see all that transpires before this.
The major characters in this movie are: Jamal, Salim and Latika.The movie centers around these three people (each of them had their roles acted by three different people to show their developmental stages).
The major themes in this movie are:
· Theme of love
This movie clearly displays the love that exists between Jamal and Latika,it starts from when Jamal asks her to run along with them while they were trying to escape death during the religious crisis and throughout the movie a lot of things caused them to part but as destiny would have it they always got back together one way or the other this was mainly because Jamal never gave up, even when Latika asks him to forget her, he never did, instead he decides to wait for her at the station every morning until she is ready.
Everyone and indeed everything around them seemed not to support their relationship, including his brother Salim but in the long run we see that none of these matters because despite all odds their love for each other kept them strong and they finally had each other.
· Theme of forgiveness
We see this displayed by Jamal, before Salim died he forgave him for all he had done to him. Right from when they were young,Salim always did things to hurt his brother and because he was older, Jamal had to obey him most of the time. When they were young,Salim sold the autograph Jamal got from Amitabh Bachchan-who was a popular musician at that time; when they used to steal from people on the train, Jamal was always the one to go,but before he died he realized how badly he had treated his brother as well as Latika,he asks them to forgive him and then he decides to right all his wrongs towards his brother as he releases Latika secretly so she could go to be with Jamal.
· Theme of Cruel Absurdity of the real world
The world of Jamal,Latika and Salim was a cruel world,because they had no parents they had to fend for themselves and this they did in a hard way. For Salim,he decided to go with the ‘slum dogs’ who made their money through illegal means but Jamal was determined to make his money through a good means, we see him work in several places before he goes for ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’; which makes him become a millionaire over night.
. Theme of poverty
This theme is emphasized in this movie, the slum alone is symbolic of poverty. We see this in every aspect of their lives, they wash their clothes in the stream,have their bath there, all the children in the slum attend an over-crowded school, their clothes are torn,they do not even eat healthy meals, it is in a bid to fight this poverty that Salim goes all out to ensure that he does not live that kind of life anymore. It is this poverty that makes them steal from the passengers on the train and come up with survival strategies.
NARRATIVES IN THE MOVIE
Two major narratives were used in this movie, the first being the quiz show and the second was the growing up experience. One way or the other, practically all the questions that Jamal was asked were things he has either experienced personally or come across in life. So when a question is asked, we are shown the corresponding experience. The presenter of the show was ignorant of this that was why he thought Jamal was a cheat. The combination of the two narratives produced an exciting story line in the movie.
EXPECTATIONS
There are a number of cheated expectations in this movie.For example, I found it difficult to comprehend the reason the presenter of the program was so much against Jamal, ordinarily he should have been happy that something spectacular was happening in his show but rather he showed so much displeasure at Jamal that he even told him the wrong answer to a particular question.
Still on the issue of the game, Jamal should not have gone through all that torture until the police was sure that he was actually cheating, the torture was like that of robbers.Also,when they finally realized that Jamal was innocent, the presenter would have been made to pay for it.
Leaving the game scene, I do not think Salim should have died the way he did, in spite of all he had done to make money, he did not live to spend the money.Ironically,he died in the midst of it, he could have lived to see his brother enjoy his ‘millionaire status’ because eventhough he sometimes did it the wrong way,he played a major role in making Jamal go through some of the experiences he went through,which paid off in the longrun.
· Theme of love
This movie clearly displays the love that exists between Jamal and Latika,it starts from when Jamal asks her to run along with them while they were trying to escape death during the religious crisis and throughout the movie a lot of things caused them to part but as destiny would have it they always got back together one way or the other this was mainly because Jamal never gave up, even when Latika asks him to forget her, he never did, instead he decides to wait for her at the station every morning until she is ready.
Everyone and indeed everything around them seemed not to support their relationship, including his brother Salim but in the long run we see that none of these matters because despite all odds their love for each other kept them strong and they finally had each other.
· Theme of forgiveness
We see this displayed by Jamal, before Salim died he forgave him for all he had done to him. Right from when they were young,Salim always did things to hurt his brother and because he was older, Jamal had to obey him most of the time. When they were young,Salim sold the autograph Jamal got from Amitabh Bachchan-who was a popular musician at that time; when they used to steal from people on the train, Jamal was always the one to go,but before he died he realized how badly he had treated his brother as well as Latika,he asks them to forgive him and then he decides to right all his wrongs towards his brother as he releases Latika secretly so she could go to be with Jamal.
· Theme of Cruel Absurdity of the real world
The world of Jamal,Latika and Salim was a cruel world,because they had no parents they had to fend for themselves and this they did in a hard way. For Salim,he decided to go with the ‘slum dogs’ who made their money through illegal means but Jamal was determined to make his money through a good means, we see him work in several places before he goes for ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’; which makes him become a millionaire over night.
. Theme of poverty
This theme is emphasized in this movie, the slum alone is symbolic of poverty. We see this in every aspect of their lives, they wash their clothes in the stream,have their bath there, all the children in the slum attend an over-crowded school, their clothes are torn,they do not even eat healthy meals, it is in a bid to fight this poverty that Salim goes all out to ensure that he does not live that kind of life anymore. It is this poverty that makes them steal from the passengers on the train and come up with survival strategies.
NARRATIVES IN THE MOVIE
Two major narratives were used in this movie, the first being the quiz show and the second was the growing up experience. One way or the other, practically all the questions that Jamal was asked were things he has either experienced personally or come across in life. So when a question is asked, we are shown the corresponding experience. The presenter of the show was ignorant of this that was why he thought Jamal was a cheat. The combination of the two narratives produced an exciting story line in the movie.
EXPECTATIONS
There are a number of cheated expectations in this movie.For example, I found it difficult to comprehend the reason the presenter of the program was so much against Jamal, ordinarily he should have been happy that something spectacular was happening in his show but rather he showed so much displeasure at Jamal that he even told him the wrong answer to a particular question.
Still on the issue of the game, Jamal should not have gone through all that torture until the police was sure that he was actually cheating, the torture was like that of robbers.Also,when they finally realized that Jamal was innocent, the presenter would have been made to pay for it.
Leaving the game scene, I do not think Salim should have died the way he did, in spite of all he had done to make money, he did not live to spend the money.Ironically,he died in the midst of it, he could have lived to see his brother enjoy his ‘millionaire status’ because eventhough he sometimes did it the wrong way,he played a major role in making Jamal go through some of the experiences he went through,which paid off in the longrun.
EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS
A lot of emotions displayed in this movie; we see the characters in pain, torture, sorrow, anguish, love, dejection, poverty. We see pain and torture when Jamal is in the Police station. We see love in the characters of Jamal and Latika;anguish is seen in Latika’e eyes while she is in bondage. Poverty is clearly displayed by the people who lived in the slum.
CAUSE AND EFFECT
The major cause and effect here is the way his life experiences made him win the game. All the experiences he had gone through gave him firsthand knowledge about the questions he was asked.Also,if their mother had not died, they would not have been subjected to fending for themselves.
SIMILARITY AND REPITITION
One part of this movie that was repeated severally was Latika coming to the train station and Jamal continuously waiting for her at the station, also the ‘Yellow’ shawl that was used by all the characters that acted Latika made it seem like it was the same person all through.
A lot of emotions displayed in this movie; we see the characters in pain, torture, sorrow, anguish, love, dejection, poverty. We see pain and torture when Jamal is in the Police station. We see love in the characters of Jamal and Latika;anguish is seen in Latika’e eyes while she is in bondage. Poverty is clearly displayed by the people who lived in the slum.
CAUSE AND EFFECT
The major cause and effect here is the way his life experiences made him win the game. All the experiences he had gone through gave him firsthand knowledge about the questions he was asked.Also,if their mother had not died, they would not have been subjected to fending for themselves.
SIMILARITY AND REPITITION
One part of this movie that was repeated severally was Latika coming to the train station and Jamal continuously waiting for her at the station, also the ‘Yellow’ shawl that was used by all the characters that acted Latika made it seem like it was the same person all through.
DIFFERENCES AND VARIANCES
Jamal and Salim,eventhough brothers lived very different lives. While Jamal was easy going, humane ;Salim was impatient and was out to make money very quickly, this made him lose every form of compassion for people.
Also, the slum where they grew up became a big city several years later.
Jamal and Salim,eventhough brothers lived very different lives. While Jamal was easy going, humane ;Salim was impatient and was out to make money very quickly, this made him lose every form of compassion for people.
Also, the slum where they grew up became a big city several years later.
FUNCTIONS OF ELEMENT
The killing of Jamal and Salim’s mother was actually symbolic of the religious crisis that took place in India many years ago.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
A lot of camera shots and movements were used in this movie and this added to the beauty of the movie. They are discussed below:
· Jarring visuals:
We see this when Jamal and Salim fell off from the train and rolled in the sand.
· Close-up shot:
A lot of close-up shots were used on the characters in this movie; it is aimed at helping the viewer to identify with the characters. An example of this is seen in the first scene when Jamal is being tortured in the Police station by the police officer.
· Medium shot:
This was also used generously in the movie, for example, it was used in the game to show the presenter and Jamal, it was used in the classroom session, and many other scenes.
· Different directional shots:
This was used to show characters from different angles thereby helping the viewer identify with the point of view of the actor. We see this during the game, we see different sides of the presenter and Jamal, their side view, front view and back view.Also, when Jamal reunited with Latika the first time we were shown their front, side and back view as well.
· Hand held camera:
Hand held cameras were used to show the children from the slum running away from the government official,it was also used to show the people trying to run for cover during the religious crisis.
· Crane shot:
A crane shot was used to introduce the viewers to the slum and its environment,it was also used to introduce us to the venue of the game.
In conclusion, a combination of all these cinematography effects not only makes the audience feel the actions first hand, it also succeeds in making the film a good one.
The killing of Jamal and Salim’s mother was actually symbolic of the religious crisis that took place in India many years ago.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
A lot of camera shots and movements were used in this movie and this added to the beauty of the movie. They are discussed below:
· Jarring visuals:
We see this when Jamal and Salim fell off from the train and rolled in the sand.
· Close-up shot:
A lot of close-up shots were used on the characters in this movie; it is aimed at helping the viewer to identify with the characters. An example of this is seen in the first scene when Jamal is being tortured in the Police station by the police officer.
· Medium shot:
This was also used generously in the movie, for example, it was used in the game to show the presenter and Jamal, it was used in the classroom session, and many other scenes.
· Different directional shots:
This was used to show characters from different angles thereby helping the viewer identify with the point of view of the actor. We see this during the game, we see different sides of the presenter and Jamal, their side view, front view and back view.Also, when Jamal reunited with Latika the first time we were shown their front, side and back view as well.
· Hand held camera:
Hand held cameras were used to show the children from the slum running away from the government official,it was also used to show the people trying to run for cover during the religious crisis.
· Crane shot:
A crane shot was used to introduce the viewers to the slum and its environment,it was also used to introduce us to the venue of the game.
In conclusion, a combination of all these cinematography effects not only makes the audience feel the actions first hand, it also succeeds in making the film a good one.
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