Slumdog Millionaire
Short description
Jamal Malik is an eighteen-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai who reaches the final question on the Indian version of the television quiz show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?". Before he can answer it, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating, unable to believe that a poor, uneducated young man could know so much. As he is questioned, Jamal recounts the events of his life, from his childhood on the streets with his brother Salim to his search for Latika, the girl he loves. His answers, and his reason for appearing on the show at all, are tied to that past.
Danny Boyle directed the film, the ninth of seventeen features in his career, following Sunshine and preceding 127 Hours. Simon Beaufoy wrote the screenplay, Christian Colson produced, and the large credited cast of ninety includes Dev Patel as the older Jamal, Freida Pinto as the older Latika, Madhur Mittal as the older Salim, and Anil Kapoor as the quizmaster Prem. Made for a modest budget of about 15 million dollars, it became a major commercial success, earning roughly 378 million dollars worldwide, a figure that reflects its wide international reach rather than its scale.
Audiences received it warmly, with an 8 out of 10 rating on IMDb from over 900,000 votes and 7.7 out of 10 on TMDB from more than 11,000 votes, while the film critics' rating stands higher at 8.6 out of 10 from 287 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- “Mercedes-Benz” demanded that its logos be removed from scenes taking place in the slums.
- The actor from whom Jamal gets an autograph is Amitabh Bachchan, a very famous and popular Indian actor who was the first host of the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”
- Filming was done using a prototype of the Digital Cinema Camera from “Silicon Imaging.” SI specialists were constantly on set to troubleshoot the camera’s malfunctions, of which there were quite a few.
- The fees of three actors who played the main characters in childhood were placed in trust funds, which will release the money to the actors upon completion of middle school and reaching the age of sixteen.
- Chris Tarrant, the host of the British version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," appeared in Danny Boyle's debut film "Shallow Grave" (1994).
- The film was originally intended to receive a PG-13 rating. When the film was given an R rating, the filmmakers had neither the time nor the resources to dispute the MPAA's decision, so the film was released with an R rating.
- The Indian authorities gifted the young actors who starred in the film with housing after the film's success at the Oscars ceremony. The coveted square footage was allocated from the city fund. Azharuddin and Rubina essentially played themselves. Like their characters, they live in the poorest neighborhood of the city.
- Approximately 20% of all dialogue in the film is in Hindi.
- The name Jamal means 'handsome,' and Malik means 'prince.'
- The film’s version of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' features 9 questions, while the real Indian version of the game (and the Russian one) has 15. Furthermore, the questions in the film are not arranged by difficulty.
- Dev Patel was discovered for the role by chance, after a suitable actor could not be found in densely populated India. Patel was recommended by Danny Boyle’s daughter, who had seen him in the British television series 'Skins' (2007-2013).
- The Russian dub of the show is voiced by Dmitry Dibrov, the host of the Russian version of this show.
- The production company hired auto-rickshaws for the young actors, who are required to be driven to school daily until they reach the age of 16.
- In 2001, Major Charles of the British Armed Forces won 1 million pounds. However, the show never aired, and Charles, his wife, and a friend were convicted of conspiracy. While reviewing the footage, the editors noticed coughing coming from the audience before the player gave each answer. The scandal involving the British Major inspired Indian writer Vikas Swarup to write the novel "Q & A."
- The film is based on Vikas Swarup’s novel "Q & A" (2005).
- In the opening scene where Jamal and Salim are fleeing, the shot of them jumping from the building to the ground is identical to a shot from the film "Trainspotting" (1996).
- The film includes a raw shot – a moment where Bombay police say: "Put the camera away, you can't film here."
- Initially, Danny Boyle wanted to invite Shah Rukh Khan to play the host. He was, in fact, the host of "Kaun Banega Crorepati?" (the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?") in 2007. However, the actor was unable to participate in the filming. Anil Kapoor, who played the host, was himself a contestant on the show and managed to win 5 million rupees.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
