“When somebody asks me a question, I tell them the answer.” Jamal said at a police investigation in Slumdog Millionaire. In this movie a man, Jamal (played by Dev Patel), tells the story of how he knew the answers in the famous game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? This movie, based on a book by Vikas Swarup, tells the story of two brothers’ struggle growing up in India. Slumdog Millionaire was a look into the “real” Indian society. The directors, Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan, used amazing scenery, casted the ideal actors, and used many visual messages to convey what it is like to live in India as a motherless child.

This movie was filmed in many locations, all of which were in or around Mumbai India, where this story takes place. It was especially interesting to see the “slums” of India. Slumdog Millionaire was filmed through the maze that is the “slums” in Mumbai and it depicted them perfectly. Merely seeing the setting is enough to make anyone think twice about what India is really all about.

When watching this movie one doesn’t see the actors, he sees the characters they are playing. Through the movie Salim and Jamal were played by many different actors. This casting director did amazing job of finding actors that look just like their older counterparts. There were three actors for each of the three kids Salim, Latika, and Jamal. It is clear, when watching this, who the characters are because of how similar they look to the younger or older version of themselves.

There were many visual images to provide details to what the “real” India is like. When the “slums” first appear, the immediate reaction is that it is crowded. It also looks very poor. One image that conveyed a motherless childhood in India the best was a scene in which Jamal, Salim, and Latika were on a giant pile of garbage living and scavenging for food. When this image is shown it makes the viewer think about how lucky they are to be able to sit there and watch the movie itself.

Overall, this movie was very well casted, had perfect scenery, and showed the reality of India through visual images. Slumdog Millionaire coveys the message of what India is like and how a struggle can lead to success. This movie was definitely worth watching, but it poses the question, “What is India really like?”