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Anyone who said that Slumdog Millionaire won all those awards because it was a 'feel good' movie in the midst of a recession - was lying. Brilliant film, yes, but in my opinion 'feel good' no. Words that spring to my mind are; 'gritty realism' 'technicolour' 'raw' 'dynamic' 'epic'. I sat down on Friday night (opening night here in Nairobi) expecting something a bit soppy and sentimental and was hit between the eyes by a really fascinating and memorable film.
I did feel there was a bit of injustice in the fact that the adult actors were getting a lot of acclaim through award ceremonies worldwide but the many excellent child actors and actresses were probably still in India...possibly going nowhere. I also slightly questioned the fact that the character of the male lead who was such an all round nice guy, given the harsh, hand to mouth upbringing he endured.
The Mumbai slums reminded me a lot of Africa. I guess slums are slums wherever you are.