Who Wants to Be a – Slumdog – Millionaire?

July 25, 2014 CLEE25 Leave a Comment

When Who Wants to Be a Millionaire first aired in the United States, viewers watched as intellectuals with photographic memories flocked to be quizzed by hosts Regis Philbin, Meredith Vieira and later Cedric the Entertainer for a chance to win $1 million, or perhaps even a consolation prize of a few thousand.

Slumdog Millionaire’s premise, however, paints a picture of how the game show could play out differently in India. The fictional film, which premiered 6 years ago and won 8 Academy Awards, centers on 18-year-old Jamal Malik, a penniless orphan from the slums of Mumbai. Against all odds, Malik advances to the final stages of the Indian version of the game show (called Kaun Banega Crorepati). In fact, Malik is just one question away from winning 20 million Rupees when he is arrested on suspicion of cheating.

How could a young, penniless orphan know so many correct answers? Through heartbreaking flashbacks to Malik’s youth, viewers are led through a lifetime of struggles that in the end show that every life event really does provide kernels of wisdom; kernels that, in Malik’s case, help him advance through the game show.

Slumdog Millionaire is a story of perseverance and perhaps prevailingly, a story of the power of love against all odds.

Whether you’ve seen it before or are watching for the first time, tune into WPT 10:30 p.m. Saturday, July 26 to catch this excellent independent film.

Wisconsin Public Television Schedule films Film