in the process of presenting an altogether fantastical narrative, “slumdog millionaire” devotes a great deal of attention to the realistic depiction of its enterprising slumdogs, the orphaned brothers jamal and salim, as they hustle to scrape by and make money in the worst of conditions. while “the white tiger” followed a poverty-stricken protagonist seeking legitimate employment, “slumdog millionaire” details a myriad of illegitimate methods through which the uneducated mumbai street urchins can keep from starving.
following the death of their mother, the brothers are lured to an “orphanage,” where they’re taught how best to beg, using infants and eyepatches as props. later, the brothers sneak on board a passenger train, riding on the roof and occasionally venturing inside to peddle trinkets and food items. after being discovered and promptly thrown off, the brothers stumble upon the taj mahal, where jamal rather ingeniously impersonates a tour guide, offering foreign tourists a series of phony facts.
among its greatest strengths is the film’s willingness to detail this very world, where right and wrong matter little to a pair of orphans mired in dire poverty.
Third World Literature 