Slumdog Millionaire Essay Questions

What does the film suggest about free will versus fate?

From the start, the idea that perhaps Jamal is winning because "it is written" is a major underlying theme. Perhaps his victory is just a matter of fate, the film proposes, and it seems more and more likely that this is the case when each game show question addresses a particular part of Jamal's biography. While Jamal does not unequivocally know the answers to all of the questions, it seems as though each one is tailored to address a chronological event in his life. This suggests that there is some element of fate at play in the fact that Jamal is doing so well on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? That being said, this is as supernatural as the film gets, and otherwise we see Jamal acting with agency and making decisions throughout his life that have led him to where he is now. In this way, free will and fate are shown to be working together in some way, and the film never conclusively says whether Jamal's narrative is "written" or not. It is left to the viewer to decide.

Why does Jamal go on the show in the first place?

While most people would go on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? to win a lot of money, Jamal has a far more personal and practical reason for going on the show. Because he knows that Latika likes to watch the game show, he figures that if he goes on as a contestant, she will be watching. Thus, entering to win all the money is less an exercise in winning big time, and more a way of feeling more connected to the woman he loves. This all pays off when he "phones a friend" on the last question and she happens to be the one to pick up the phone.

How do Jamal and Salim grow apart?

Jamal seems more pure hearted and earnest in his desires, driven by the desire for love and connection rather than gain or power. Salim, from an early age, exhibits a desire to get ahead in whatever way he can, no matter what. Their divergent paths come into focus when Salim shoots Maman in order to save Latika. Immediately afterwards, he goes to Javed and offers himself as a gang member. Jamal does not want this kind of life, and is willing to be poor if it means that he can have a clean conscience, but Salim buys into the violent, ruthless attitudes of the less-savory members of their community. Salim betrays Jamal several times throughout the film, but eventually redeems himself by helping Latika escape and taking the fall for it. While Salim and Jamal are disconnected from one another, having chosen wildly different paths, they are brothers until the end.

How does Danny Boyle use cinematographic techniques to tell his story more vividly?

Throughout the film, director Boyle juxtaposes bright colors with grittier and drabber palettes in order to show that Jamal's world is at once vibrant and difficult, that he comes from a difficult background, but that there are splashes of light, adventure, and color even in a difficult world. Editing is often quick and jumpy to reflect Jamal's haphazard lifestyle as a wayward orphan as well. One of Danny Boyle's directorial signatures is also to film scenes at a slight tilt, which signals the topsy-turvy nature of Jamal's biography, and adds to the sense of suspense and adventure.

Why does the host of the game show have Jamal brought in for questioning by the police?

As Prem, the game show host, reveals to Jamal in the bathroom during the commercial break, he is also a slumdog who came up and made something of himself. While in this moment it seems as though Prem is genuinely identifying with Jamal and seeking some sort of connection, when he has Jamal kidnapped we realize that Prem is jealous of another slumdog doing what he once did. He wants to intimidate and discredit Jamal's success in order to secure his own position and fame. He seems like a paternal figure for Jamal, but he is actually an antagonist, someone who wants to see him fail.