Slum Dog Millionaire, a big hit

07-02-09 It is adapted from Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup’s bestselling novel, Q & A, and some even predict that it will go to the Oscars. From syndicated film critic Roger Ebert, whose reviews get published in 200 US newspapers, to mainstream dailies like the New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today, praise for the film that stars Anil Kapoor , Dev Patel and Irrfan Khan has come from all over. This is a breathless, exciting story, heartbreaking and exhilarating at the same time, about a Mumbai orphan who rises from rags to riches on the strength of his lively intelligence,” said Ebert. “The film’s universal appeal will present the real India to millions of moviegoers for the first time. When I saw Slumdog Millionaire, I was witnessing a phenomenon: dramatic proof that a movie is about how it tells itself,” Ebert said, calling it “one of those miraculous entertainments that achieves its immediate goals and keeps climbing toward a higher summit.”

“It’s hard to hold on to any reservations in the face of Mr. Boyle’s resolutely upbeat pitch and seductive visual style,” said the New York Times. “It’s an undeniably attractive package, a seamless mixture of thrills and tears, armchair tourism… and crackerjack professionalism. Both the reliably great Irrfan Khan ( A Mighty Heart ), as a sadistic detective, and the  Bollywood star Anil Kapoor, as the preening game-show host, run circles around the young Mr Patel, an agreeable enough if vague centerpiece to all this coordinated, insistently happy chaos,” it said. With dazzling, magical realism and vigorous storytelling, the film has an enchanting power, fusing a fairy tale quality with gritty realism,” said USA Today. “The beautifully rendered and energetic tale celebrates resilience, the power of knowledge and the vitality of the human experience. Horrifying, humorous and life-affirming, it is, above all, unforgettable.”

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