# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/141 "2009-02-03T11:44:20Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > 1. Does the movie take place modern day or a few years ago? Sometimes the cell phones and other things imply the way America was 10 years ago. The very first title card says: Mumbai 2006 ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/142 "2009-02-03T14:01:27Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > 1. Was the scene in which Salim & Jamal’s mother was killed based on a historical event or was it a depiction of a random violent incident? [The Bombay riots.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai_riots) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/143 "2009-02-07T09:34:26Z")
There’s a bit of a broo-ha [over the amount the child actors were paid.](http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/6247418.html) The youngest Latika and the youngest Salim really were slum kids hired from the filming locations for the movie (the youngest Jamal and the other actors were all from middle class or better families, some being English like Dev Patel) and were paid between $1500 to $3000 (accounts vary). This is one of those “do you look at as an amount or as relative?” things. OT1H, $1500 is less than Dev Patel probably gets for the gift bags in his talk show appearances for a week, but OTOH it’s more than these kids’ parents probably made in 6 months. The producers responded to the criticism by stating they began a trust fund with a $15,000 prize money to pay for the kids education at some point as well. Personally, I think the kids should have been paid the same as the kid who played the youngest Jamal, whatever that was, since their roles were about the same size. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/144 "2009-02-07T10:01:53Z")
Question: Why did Salim put all the money in the tub before he started the shoot out? ---
**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:** [February 7, 2009, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/145 "2009-02-07T10:07:52Z")
Hmmm, I heard about this a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know the full story behind it, but I would be very interested in knowing which studio started the trash talk, because it sure didn’t come up until after the Oscar nominations came out. This kind of thing has proven not to work in the past. **A Beautiful Mind** won even though trash talk about John Nash started circulating after the nominations came out. Nor did trash talk about **Return of the King** work (and we know who started that one, Clint Eastwood). On the other hand, the trash talk about **Brokeback Mountain** worked very well indeed. Personally, I suspect someone who I won’t name, but his name starts with a Wein and ends with a stein. As if **The Reader** has a chance in hell. Edit to add, that of course was in response to Sampiro’s post. ---
**Author:** ![alexandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@alexandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alexandra)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/146 "2009-02-07T13:00:30Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > This is one of those “do you look at as an amount or as relative?” things. OT1H, $1500 is less than Dev Patel probably gets for the gift bags in his talk show appearances for a week, but OTOH it’s more than these kids’ parents probably made in 6 months. The producers responded to the criticism by stating they began a trust fund with a $15,000 prize money to pay for the kids education at some point as well.. Yeah, I also read somewhere that the studio is paying for a driver to take the kids to school. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/147 "2009-02-07T18:52:05Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > Question: Why did Salim put all the money in the tub before he started the shoot out? I thought it was mostly symbolic- actually transforming it into “blood money” (though most would still be usable), though at first I thought he was going to turn on the shower and ruin it. I thought it interesting that such a secular man died with the words “God is Great” (or as it’s said in Arabic, [Admiral Akbar](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6e/AckbarStanding.jpg)). I wondered if the crimeboss was Hindu or Muslim (not that I much imagined it mattered). ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/148 "2009-02-07T18:55:43Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I thought it was mostly symbolic- actually transforming it into “blood money” (though most would still be usable), though at first I thought he was going to turn on the shower and ruin it. I thought it interesting that such a secular man died with the words “God is Great” (or as it’s said in Arabic, [Admiral Akbar](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6e/AckbarStanding.jpg)). I wondered if the crimeboss was Hindu or Muslim (not that I much imagined it mattered). He wasn’t secular. A previous scene had shown him praying (apparently in earnest, since he believed himself to be alone) for forgiveness before going out to kill somebody. Hypocritical, but not secular. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/149 "2009-02-08T05:27:00Z")
I just saw this in the theater for the third time - I love it that much. I disagree with anyone who believes Dev Patel is poorly cast. For the vast majority of his screen time, he’s _literally_ beaten down, appearing on a game show that he could not give a shit about, pursuing money that he doesn’t care about, and he’s just been tortured by authority figures who believe he’s a liar and a cheat. To put it in an American perspective, I imagine him being a poor black guy in Alabama in the 1950s at a police station, unjustly accused of a crime. And he has nothing on his side except the truth and love that may, or may not ever be returned. The film has more impact on me each time I see it. When he said: “But they had other plans for her.” …it just destroyed me. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/150 "2009-02-08T16:40:06Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I just saw this in the theater for the third time - I love it that much. > > I disagree with anyone who believes Dev Patel is poorly cast. For the vast majority of his screen time, he’s _literally_ beaten down, appearing on a game show that he could not give a shit about, pursuing money that he doesn’t care about, and he’s just been tortured by authority figures who believe he’s a liar and a cheat. To put it in an American perspective, I imagine him being a poor black guy in Alabama in the 1950s at a police station, unjustly accused of a crime. And he has nothing on his side except the truth and love that may, or may not ever be returned. > . I just loved his expression when he told the host that he didn’t know the answer to the last question. It seemed a perfect combination of absolute lack of concern about the outcome, contentment, and joy that his Latika had seen him and was safe. (In retrospect, Salim displays the same qualities, substituting acceptance for joy, in his outcome.) ---
**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:** [February 8, 2009, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/151 "2009-02-08T22:39:37Z")
Not too much of a surprise, Simon Beaufoy won the Adapted Screenplay for **Slumdog Milllionaire** at the Writers Guild of America (WGA) awards last night. (for the interested, Dustin Lance Black won Original Screenplay for **Milk** , and Ari Folman won Documentary screenplay for **Waltz With Bashir** ). It’s won all the most major Guilds now, Producers, Directors, Actors (for Best Ensemble), Cinematography and now Writers. I don’t think it will sweep the Oscars, but it’ll come damn close. They also love Slumdog over in the UK, duh. It cleaned up at the BAFTAs, winning: Best Film Director - Danny Boyle Score - A. R. Rahman Cinematography - Anthony Dod Mantle Adapted Screenplay - Simon Beaufoy Sound - Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp Editing - Chris Dickens I expected it to win Outstanding British Film but that went to **Man On Wire** , which I think shocked the hell out of the filmmakers, Simon Chinn and James Marsh. It was up against not only Slumdog, but also In Bruge, Hunger, and (I had no idea this was a “British film”) Mamma Mia!. I have the full list of BAFTA winners if anyone’s interested. I don’t know if it’s worth a new thread. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/152 "2009-02-14T17:49:25Z")
Loved this movie. We just saw it last night and I was so impressed by the score, storyline, and cinematography. Just a beautiful movie. > [@brickbacon](#): > > Question: Why did Salim put all the money in the tub before he started the shoot out? I wondered this as well, but now I think it was an interesting juxtaposition between the “bad” Salim and the “good” Jamal. As Jamal was winning his millions through humility and honesty, Salim was sitting in a pile of ill-gotten money waiting for a violent end. Also, interesting that the movie ended with both characters, having experienced crushing poverty for the majority of their lives, ended with gobs of money as a central image. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/153 "2009-02-16T20:21:09Z")
Slumdog’s now swept all the major Guilds: American Cinema Editors (ACE, the Eddies) - Chris Dickens American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) - Anthony Dod Mantle Art Directors Guild (ADG) Contemporary Film Category - Mark Digby Cinema Audio Society (CAS) Directors Guild of America (DGA) - Danny Boyle Producers Guild of America (PGA) Screen Actors Guild (SAG) - Cast Ensemble Writers Guild of America (WGA) - Simon Beaufoy The only Guilds left are the Costume Designers (CDG), the Visual Effects Society (VES), and the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE), which is the only one where Slumdog might win more awards. If it does, we might have a sweep on our hands come Oscar night, but I hope not. The Dark Knight should, and I hope does, win the Sound awards. Once again, here are the Academy Award nominations Slumdog Millionaire has received. The Oscars are next Sunday, February 22: **Best Motion Picture of the Year** Christian Colson **Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published** Simon Beaufoy **Best Achievement in Directing** Danny Boyle **Best Achievement in Cinematography** Anthony Dod Mantle **Best Achievement in Editing** Chris Dickens **Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score** A.R. Rahman **Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song** A.R. Rahman Maya Arulpragasam For the song “O Saya”. **Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song** A.R. Rahman (music) Sampooran Singh Gulzar (lyrics) For the song “Jai Ho”. **Best Achievement in Sound** Ian Tapp Richard Pryke Resul Pookutty **Best Achievement in Sound Editing** Tom Sayers Glenn Freemantle I’m still angry as hell that the Oscar producers (_spit_) and jealous asshole director Bill Condon (_spit_ _spit_ I’ll never pay to see another movie of his) have decided to shaft Slumdog’s songs by only presenting a minute of each, as a medley. I hate them I hate them I HATE THEM (the producers and jealous asshole Condon, not the songs)! Two of the most exciting, vibrant and interesting songs ever to be nominated, and they wimp out on actually letting people hear them. Fuckers. I don’t blame Peter Gabriel for pulling out of performing in protest. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/154 "2009-02-16T22:24:44Z")
I saw this today, and I thought it was great. The concept of having flashbacks that not only explained why he knew the answers to each question _but also_ told a linear story was both facinating and well executed. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/155 "2009-02-16T23:57:32Z")
I’m glad to see that people _here_ are, with a few exceptions, liking the movie a lot. The hate for Slumdog on other sites, like Awards Daily, is ridiculous. It’s so over-the-top that I revel in each Guild win just because I know it’s driving a lot of people insane. I mean, sure, I’m rooting for Milk over Slumdog myself, but I love Slumdog and am so very very happy that it’s become such a sensation that I simply can’t begrudge it. Heads are going to explode on Oscar night. It’s gonna be fun to watch. Of course, my own head will explode if either The Reader or Frost/Nixon wins over both Milk and Slumdog, but I seriously doubt that will happen. I could handle Benjamin Button winning, though I wouldn’t be happy about it at all. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/156 "2009-02-17T03:07:16Z")
\*\*Slumdog Millionaire \*\*is the kind of movie that people will remember intimately 20-30 years from now. How many of he other nominees can we say that about? ---
**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:** [February 17, 2009, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/157 "2009-02-17T05:30:03Z")
I believe that too, and I also believe **Milk** will gain in stature more and more as the years go by. It really is a remarkable film, disguised as a humble biopic. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/158 "2009-02-23T01:25:58Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > It might sound like a bit of a corny premise, but the kid’s biography and the portrait of life in the ghettos of India is so harrowing, brutal and heart-rending that it keeps the movie from becoming too sappy, even if the ending is predictable. > > The movie it reminded me of the most is the Brazillian movie, [_City of God_.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_God_(film)) The wife and I just got back from this. I won’t say I hated it, but I was pretty disappointed. It _was_ corny, and I’m really surprised to see it compared to City of God, which I thought was great. Then again, I’m surprised at all the acclaim it’s getting, so I guess that shouldn’t be any different. > [@Princhester](#): > > I enjoyed sitting through the movie, while I was there, but I had a nagging part of me that just couldn’t accept it and get into it. There’s a few things, but I think the worst was the love story thing. We are shown almost nothing that allows us to buy into the relationship. The boys’ mother is killed and they hang out in shipping container for one night. Then they are at a dump, but Jamal and Latika aren’t even hanging out together (Latika is scavenging, the boys are sleeping a distance away). Then they are at the orphanage and Latika plays a prank on Jamal. And that’s it. We’re just asked to accept that they are crazy about each other, and that’s that. This is eerily close to **exactly** what I said to my wife on the way home from the theater, right down to mentioning the peppers on the privates. I had a few other complaints, but this was definitely the biggest one. > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > If you’re looking for a sleeper, this is it. Amen to that, brother. If I were to write a one-word review of this movie, it would look something like this: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. ---
**Author:** ![ekweizn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7c8e57/32.png) [@ekweizn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekweizn)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/159 "2009-02-23T01:57:14Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Then they are at the orphanage and Latika plays a prank on Jamal. The peppers prank is not on Jamal but on Salim (for being a money-grubbing jerk). ---
**Author:** ![Clark\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@Clark\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clark_K)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117/160 "2009-02-23T04:51:26Z")
Very good movie. But it’s a fundamentally old-fashioned melodrama \_ Oliver Twist Goes to Mumbai \_ told in a creative, flashy way. That’s not meant to demean the movie. It takes real skill, both from the director and screenwriter, to bring new energy to an old-fashioned story. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slumdog-millionaire/475117.md?page=9)