# Slumdog Millionaire **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2008, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117 "2008-12-01T01:25:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/61 "2009-01-05T04:31:59Z")
> [@zagloba](#): > > I found it a little unbelievable that Latika had been allowed to learn to drive. Really? How come, is it because she was Muslim? Because the film was taking place in Bombay (India), so that thought never really crossed my mind. Or is this true as well in India? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/62 "2009-01-05T05:29:12Z")
Because she was being kept under lock and key by a control-freak asshole? ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/63 "2009-01-05T06:17:46Z")
bucketybuck: Yeah, but he waited and set himself up as if on a suicide mission. The henchmen, if they have any sense of loyalty, would still go after Latika. Tactically, it was a stupid move, that’s all. Until the phone-a-friend thing, no one else realized that Latika was missing. Same would have been true of Salim as well. Mumbai is a huuuuge city. Could have easily hidden themselves for a while, approached a rival gangster and taken out the earlier boss. At least, that’s how Bollywood handles it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/64 "2009-01-05T20:45:23Z")
We saw this movie last night and loved it. Part is because we’re heading to India in a couple months, but also because it was such a beautiful and rich movie. It was extremely predictible but that didn’t bother me (although, my SO thought that Latika was going to be remotely carbombed via the cellphone. :smack:… so not predictible for everyone, I guess.) At the end, I turned and said that it was a great movie, but where was the big dance number and then boom! The movie was thusly complete. My favorite scene of the entire movie was the lengths that the boy went to meet the movie star. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/65 "2009-01-05T20:59:44Z")
> [@Ro0sh](#): > > Really? How come, is it because she was Muslim? > Because the film was taking place in Bombay (India), so that thought never really crossed my mind. Or is this true as well in India? I assumed she was Hindu, because Latika is a Hindi name, unlike Selim or Jamal. It’s never really spelled out in the movie, at least as far as I noticed ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/66 "2009-01-05T22:09:26Z")
> [@II\_Gyan\_II](#): > > bucketybuck: > > Yeah, but he waited and set himself up as if on a suicide mission. The henchmen, if they have any sense of loyalty, would still go after Latika. Tactically, it was a stupid move, that’s all. Until the phone-a-friend thing, no one else realized that Latika was missing. Same would have been true of Salim as well. Mumbai is a huuuuge city. Could have easily hidden themselves for a while, approached a rival gangster and taken out the earlier boss. At least, that’s how Bollywood handles it 🙂 Yeah, Mumbai being a huuuuge city is what made him running into people so unbelievable for me. But then, it is destiny…? ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/67 "2009-01-06T01:39:29Z")
Slumdog marches on toward its inevitable Oscar nomination. Today it was nominated for a Producers Guild award (along with Milk, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight and Frost/Nixon). The PGA have a shaky track record for picking future Oscar winners (12 of the last 18), but they do pretty well when it comes to nominations, though missing occasionally. Unless Slumdog becomes this year’s Dreamgirls (which got a PGA nom but not an Oscar nom), which is highly unlikely because it’s a much better movie and is beloved in Hollywood, there’s no way it won’t get nominated. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/68 "2009-01-06T22:43:34Z")
I just saw this. It was a phenomenal and highly creative film. The beginning, and particularly the story of the children scrapping for survival, was especially captivating. Parts of it were horrifying. You get so caught up in the moment… I audibly gasped when the children fell off the train! I found the overall plotline moving on a number of levels, as Jamal had to come to a sort of reckoning with his past in justifying having won the game show. The ultimate message I got is that we can take all these painful little pieces of ourselves, pieces that on first blush may not even seem like assets, and put them together to create something meaningful. This film touched me deeply on a personal level and ultimately taught me something about myself. I didn’t really have anything to say for a good half hour afterward. Usually my husband and I chat animatedly about what we just saw, but in this case… respectful silence. I do believe it is one of the best films I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/69 "2009-01-07T00:07:01Z")
> [@GilaB](#): > > I assumed she was Hindu, because Latika is a Hindi name, unlike Selim or Jamal. It’s never really spelled out in the movie, at least as far as I noticed Interesting- as I kinda thought the opposite. I just figured she was a muslim woman, having been raised with those kids and since she lost her parents in a similar manner as the boys did. So i just made that association right away. (And I thought about the Car bomb possibility too). ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/70 "2009-01-07T02:09:36Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Bump. > > Am I the only one who’s seen this? A friend just told me about this movie last night. He was as impressed as you are. He and I usually have similar assessments of films, so I’m anxious to go see it. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/71 "2009-01-08T03:46:22Z")
Ok, I keep telling you guys, Hollywood loves this thing. It’s not just actors either. More Guild award nominations came out and Slumdog’s right there with the big names. In case anyone doesn’t know, Guild nominations/awards are THE single biggest clue to Oscar nominations/wins, because while not all Guild members are Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) members, almost all craft/technical/artistic AMPAS members are Guild members, so while there can be some differences, the Guild awards nominations are an excellent indicator of what AMPAS people are watching and liking. **Cinema Audio Society nominations:** SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Resul Pookutty Ian Tapp Richard Pryke Other nominees are: THE DARK KNIGHT IRON MAN QUANTUM OF SOLACE WALL-E **Writers Guild of America nominees (Adapted Screenplay):** Slumdog Millionaire, Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, Based on the Novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup, Fox Searchlight Pictures Other nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button The Dark Knight Doubt Frost/Nixon **American Society of Cinematographers nominations:** Anthony Dod Mantle for Slumdog Millionaire Other nominees: Claudio Miranda for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button Wally Pfister for The Dark Knight Roger Deakins and Chris Menges for The Reader Roger Deakins for Revolutionary Road **Screen Actors Guild nominations:** Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role - Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - Rubiana Ali; Tanay Chheda; Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala; Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail; Anil Kapoor (I); Irrfan Khan; Ayush Mahesh Khedekar; Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar; Madhur Mittal; Dev Patel; Freida Pinto Tomorrow the Directors Guild nominations come out. I’d be shocked if we didn’t see Danny Boyle’s name on their list. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/72 "2009-01-08T05:16:09Z")
I was really underwhelmed with the story. Loved the end credit sequence, though. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/73 "2009-01-08T05:27:18Z")
> [@Gadarene](#): > > I was really underwhelmed with the story. Loved the end credit sequence, though. I know this is going to sound snarky but I don’t know how else to phrase it. What kind of story would it take for you to NOT be underwhelmed? This story, to me, was amazing and original and fascinating and heartbreaking. I guess I could see not liking the movie for any number of reasons, but…underwhelmed with the story? What could they have done differently to up your whelm factor? ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/74 "2009-01-08T05:55:07Z")
It didn’t hold together that well, in my opinion. And the characters weren’t especially complex. Other than being “good” and “truthful” and “in love with Latika,” I never even got a real sense of who Jamal _was_. (And how the hell did the kids grow so much while they were on the train? And where did they get clothes that fit? And how did Jamal end up pulling himself out of the slums?) _shrug_ Different strokes. Edit: I thought _City of God_ hit a lot of the same sort of notes much better, for example. And – I’m not being snarky here, promise – if you want me to list my favorite films so you can see what stories I tend to like, I’m happy to do that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/75 "2009-01-08T06:00:37Z")
> [@Gadarene](#): > > And the characters weren’t especially complex. Other than being “good” and “truthful” and “in love with Latika,” I never even got a real sense of who Jamal _was_. I can understand that. > [@Gadarene](#): > > (And how the hell did the kids grow so much while they were on the train? Years passing. > [@Gadarene](#): > > And where did they get clothes that fit? Probably how they got their food, stole them from passengers. > [@Gadarene](#): > > And how did Jamal end up pulling himself out of the slums?) He worked at it. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/76 "2009-01-08T06:01:56Z")
I guess one issue was that I kept getting distracted by the ragged edges of the sort of details mentioned in my post above, which might be more my fault than the movie, but there are many films where I’m able to accept the narrative structure fairly uncritically. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/77 "2009-01-08T06:08:51Z")
I’ve seen it twice and I got a lot more out of it the second time. The first time was somewhat overwhelming because I knew nothing of the story except that a guy was going to win big on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millonaire (I know it’s spelled wrong, but it’s funny that’s how the host pronounces it). I had no idea what was coming, that it was going to be so dark. I had no idea where the movie was taking me and was continually surprised. The second time I knew what was going to happen and could pay more attention to the details. The only thing that didn’t work for me was that Jamal had no reason to jump in the pit of shit. He was a limber kid, he could have climbed over the top. There was no roof, after all. But that wouldn’t have made as big an impact in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/78 "2009-01-08T06:09:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Years passing. Years passing on the _train_?? Had they switched to the older actors _after_ the Taj Mahal (when they returned to Mumbai), that would have made much more sense. > [@](#): > > Probably how they got their food, stole them from passengers. Without explanation, I thought it was incongruous, and it struck a jarring note for me. > [@](#): > > He worked at it. I would have liked to have seen some of that, given how difficult it appeared to be for families to break free of the slums, let alone penniless orphans. Maybe it would have given me some actual sense of his personality. I did like the movie. But I’m surprised by the amount of acclaim people are bestowing upon it. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/79 "2009-01-08T06:14:37Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I’ve seen it twice and I got a lot more out of it the second time. The first time was somewhat overwhelming because I knew nothing of the story except that a guy was going to win big on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millonaire (I know it’s spelled wrong, but it’s funny that’s how the host pronounces it). I had no idea what was coming, that it was going to be so dark. I had no idea where the movie was taking me and was continually surprised. The second time I knew what was going to happen and could pay more attention to the details. Really? Weird. I felt I knew where the movie was taking me every step of the way. I think I have different tastes than a lot of people, though, so maybe that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/80 "2009-01-08T06:24:34Z")
I think it helps to understand that the film made some liberal use of Bollywood tropes, and a sudden transition from childhood to adulthood is one of them (scenes for instance of a child walking through a door and coming out the other side as an adult). The fairy tale love story is another one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117.md?page=5)