Jamal is being tortured by the police after being suspected of cheating on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
The slums that Jamal and his brother Salim grew up in and the poor conditions that they struggle with everyday.
Both brothers are forced into school by their mother, where they learn about The Three Musketeers.
Jamal is shown covered in humane waste, obtaining an autograph from a famous Bollywood actor. This flashback helps him answer his first question on the show.
As the Bombay riot breaks out, Jamal and Salim's mother is killed and they come face to face with a child dressed up as Rama, another memory that helps Jamal answer the next question.
As they escape the riot, they run into Latika, taking her along with them.
The three of them live in a very dirty place, sleeping under makeshift tents when a man approaches and offers to take them to a better place.
Salim soon learns that the man, Maman, takes street kids and disables them so people would feel bad while they were out begging for money.
As the three of them escape, Salim purposely lets Latika go. This is the last time both of them see her for years.
Years later, they find her again but Salim forces Jamal to leave.
Jamal is asked his final question, who is the third musketeer.
Salim dies after trying to shoot Javed, dying in a tub of money.
Jamal answers correctly and wins the show, being showered confetti and holding a big check.
Jamal and Latika finally reunite.
Slumdog Millionaire follows the story of eighteen year old Jamal Malik and his older brother, Salim, growing up in the slums of Mumbai. The story starts off with Jamal appearing on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”, seeming to do so well that he is suspected of cheating. Knowing his poor background, no one believes that he is actually answering the show’s questions without help. Police hold Jamal in custody, torturing him to explain how he has gotten so far in the game. However, it is revealed that most of his and his brother’s experiences as a child has guided him to answering the questions on the show.
As young boys, Jamal and Salim were always getting themselves in trouble. The first flashback the brothers are seen running away from the police after playing cricket on private land. As they run through their village, it is seen how poor these kids really live. They run into their mother, who brings them to a crowded classroom where they learn about The Three Musketeers. The film cuts between memories of Jamal’s childhood and when he appears on the gameshow. When he is asked his first question, the viewer is shown his first flashback of when he was five. He obtains an autograph of Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, having to leap into a pile of waste after being locked in an outhouse by Salim. This memory helps Jamal answer his first question, where he was asked, “Who was the star in the 1973 hit film Zanjeer?”. His brother later on goes to sell his autograph.
Jamal and Salim become orphans, however, after their mother is killed during the Bombay riots. Both flee as the people in their slums are being murdered. They must fend for themselves and learn how to survive alongside Latika, a little girl that fled with them. Despite Salim’s reluctance to take Latika in, the three of them stay together, and Jamal suggests to Salim that Latika could be their “third musketeer”, although they both don’t know the third one’s name. Although traumatic, this memory helps Jamal answer another question. They are later found by a gangster named Maman, who takes street kids and trains them to become beggars. All three children are taken to a care home where they are put together with many others. Salim quickly fills in the role of leading the other children, seeking approval from Maman. However, he quickly finds out that Maman has been disabling these kids to get more money off the street, such as blinding them. Horrified, Salim flees with Jamal and Latika, but purposefully leaves Latika behind while being chased.
They escape by train and work as unofficial guides at the Taj Mahal, stealing shoes and scamming tourists. Jamal is still in love with Latika, who was left behind to be exploited as a prostitute by Maman. At Jamal’s insistence, both brothers go back to Mumbai to rescue her, killing Maman in the process. Salim ends up working with Javed, a rival crime lord, and taking Latika away from Jamal. Years later Jamal works at a call center and continues to search for Salim and Latika through the company’s database. He decides to become a contestant on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” as a last resort, hoping that she will see him on TV. Jamal does amazingly well, and is able to reach the last question to win the show. He is asked the name of who the third musketeer is, which he doesn’t know. He calls Salim as a lifeline because that is the only number he knows, Latika answers the phone. She tells Jamal that she is safe, but she doesn’t know the answer to the question. Relieved, Jamal quickly picks the first answer, getting it correct and winning the show. Javed learns that Salim betrayed him, so he and his men try to kill Salim. Salim kills Javed before he is shot and killed. Jamal and Latika reunite.
Slumdog Millionaire follows the story of a young boy who grew up in the slums, experiencing various traumatic experiences with his brother. However, he has the chance to turn his life around when he becomes a contestant on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”. Winning this show isn’t his main goal, though, it is finding the love of his life, Latika.
Words: Romance, Determination, Crime, Drama, & Betrayal
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