Discussion Questions for Slumdog Millionaire

How do you feel about the film? What are your first impressions?

There was a lot of anger about the way in which this film represents Bombay/Mumbai. It is actually the most affluent city in India now. Do you feel the film does that justice?

Consider the main characters. There are villains aplenty and even the heroes are flawed. Does the film paint a complex picture of everyone?

·  Jamal Malik is called a chaiwalla and a slumdog. Why is that significant?

·  Salim and Jamal are brothers but turn out so differently. Why? Does the film help us

understand Salim at all? Is he simply the bad brother?

·  Latika seems to be very innocent and pure considering the life she has had. Realistic?

·  What do you think about the police detective?

·  How does the game show host strike you? The actor is actually one of the most successful

actors in Bollywood film, instantly recognizable to millions. What does that add to this

film?

·  How do you feel about Maman and his crew?

What do you make of the Dickensian echoes in the ways the children are treated at “the orphanage?”

Can you imagine children growing up with so little supervision or recourse?

Consider the larger structure of the film—flashbacks from modern media scenes/police station to Jamal’s impoverished, violent childhood. What are the larger messages conveyed by this? Are there any especially poignant supporting scenes?

Do the questions/flashbacks proceed in any logical fashion?

·  Who was the star of "Zanjeer"?

·  What motto is inscribed at the base of the national emblem of India? (Audience help)

·  What weapon does Lord Rama hold in his right hand?

·  Which Indian poet wrote the song "Darshan Do Ghanshyam", according to the movie?

·  Whose picture appears on a U.S. $100 bill?

·  Who invented the first commercially-successful revolver?

·  Cambridge Circus is in which U.K. city?

·  Which cricketer recorded the most first-class centuries? (50/50)

·  In Alexander Dumas' book "The Three Musketeers", two of the musketeers are called Athos and Porthos. What is the name of the third Musketeer? (Phone a friend)

What do you think about the romance in the film—two people destined for one another from childhood? How does such romance develop in a culture of such desperation and poverty?

Do Bollywood romances play the same role in the culture as shows like “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”

Are there other holes in the film? Are you able to suspend disbelief or do they interfere in your enjoyment of it?

Does this film have staying power? If so, why? Archetypal themes? Rise of Indian culture to international prominence? Other?