---
title: "Slumdog Millionaire"
year: 2008
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/slumdog-millionaire"
fi1m_id: "slumdog-millionaire"
imdb_id: "tt1010048"
tmdb_id: 12405
wikidata_id: "Q125076"
fi1m_score: 78
critics_score: 79
critics_reviews: 10
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:31.507855+00:00"
region: "CO"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Directed by Danny Boyle · 2h 01m · Drama, Romance

## Identity

Slumdog Millionaire

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/slumdog-millionaire
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** slumdog-millionaire
- **IMDb ID:** tt1010048
- **TMDB ID:** 12405
- **Wikidata ID:** Q125076
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1010048/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/12405, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q125076

**Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 79 from 10 reviews

*In a sentence:* A television quiz with the resting pulse of a police chase

> Danny Boyle’s Mumbai romance is quick, warm and hard to resist, even when its coincidences become conspicuous. Dev Patel gives it a human centre, though the rush from poverty to pleasure can leave us uneasy.

## Synopsis

Jamal grows up amid poverty in Mumbai, with little reason to expect wealth or security. A television quiz offers the possibility of both, while he searches for a lost love. Dev Patel and Freida Pinto play the older Jamal and Latika, with Madhur Mittal as the older Salim and Anil Kapoor as Prem. The story moves between childhood hardship and the pressures of the game show, bringing romance into a life shaped by violence and inequality. Danny Boyle directs, from Simon Beaufoy’s adaptation of a novel by Vikas Swarup.

## Review

Danny Boyle’s *Slumdog Millionaire* is a good romance with enough drive to keep its more convenient plotting from becoming a constant irritation. We recommend it for its warmth and pace, with some reservations about the way it handles suffering. The television quiz supplies suspense, while Jamal’s search for lost love gives the questions an importance beyond money. Boyle commits to both with such confidence that there is little opportunity to ask whether they fit quite as neatly as Simon Beaufoy’s screenplay insists.

Dev Patel helps enormously as the older Jamal. His performance is direct and relatively unshowy, giving us someone to care about while the film is busy finding another way to quicken the pulse. The younger performers, including Ayush Mahesh Khedekar and Tanay Chheda as Jamal at different ages, make the childhood passages feel less calculated than the larger story. They bring an alertness to the hardship that stops these scenes becoming merely an explanation for the adult.

Anthony Dod Mantle’s cinematography makes Mumbai difficult to take our eyes off: strong colours, oblique angles and a camera keen to get close to the street. There is pleasure in that proximity, and enough visual information to make a second look worthwhile. Mark Digby’s production design keeps the quiz-show setting distinct from the streets, a useful clarity amid the rapid changes of scene. The city feels busy with lives beyond Jamal’s, which matters when his own story starts to seem too carefully arranged.

Chris Dickens’s editing is essential to the attraction and to the discomfort. He maintains a brisk pace without making the story difficult to follow, while A.R. Rahman’s music gives the movement an insistent beat. We were uneasy at how quickly scenes of poverty and violence became part of the same excitement as the quiz. The cutting and music keep urging us forwards before the distress has had time to settle. That does not cancel the pleasure, but it makes Boyle’s eagerness to entertain feel careless in places.

Beaufoy’s screenplay, adapted from a novel by Vikas Swarup, also asks a great deal of coincidence. Romantic fables can survive a few unlikely events, but here the conveniences sometimes make the characters’ choices feel secondary. Freida Pinto’s older Latika is appealing, but we wanted more room for her to exist beyond the importance she holds for Jamal. The romance depends heavily on accepting that importance, and Patel does more to persuade us of it than the writing does.

Boyle is on firmer ground when he trusts the simple demands of a romantic melodrama. He takes love and hope seriously, and Patel makes that earnestness easier to accept than it might have been with a more knowing lead. At 121 minutes, the film feels shorter, though a little less haste might have made the people fuller. Choose it for an evening of romance and suspense, provided a conspicuously helpful coincidence does not send you reaching for the remote.

*Fi1m score 78, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics greet Slumdog Millionaire warmly, with praise clustering around Danny Boyle’s energetic direction and the vivid depiction of Mumbai. Anthony Dod Mantle’s cinematography receives particular attention, while the editing and music also earn credit for keeping the story moving. The prevailing view is that the film makes its familiar rags-to-riches story involving through warmth, suspense and a wholehearted belief in romance, even when its contrivances are easy to spot.

The reservations concern predictability, depth and the treatment of hardship, with responses ranging from enthusiastic approval to marked discomfort. The New Yorker finds the story formulaic but enjoys its verve, while The Hollywood Reporter considers it entertaining yet thin in conception and execution. The Independent offers the sharpest dissent: it admires the energy and the city portrait but finds the combination of graphic poverty, violence and wish-fulfilment entertainment queasy rather than uplifting.

## Straight answers

**Is Slumdog Millionaire worth watching?**

*Slumdog Millionaire* is worth watching for anyone who wants a quick, warm romance with a quiz-show pulse, and we scored it 78. Dev Patel gives it a human centre and Anthony Dod Mantle's camera makes Mumbai hard to look away from. Be ready for coincidences that sometimes do the characters' work for them, and for scenes of poverty and violence cut as briskly as the quiz itself.

**How long is Slumdog Millionaire, and what is it rated?**

*Slumdog Millionaire* runs 2h 01m. It is a drama and romance film.

**Where can I watch Slumdog Millionaire in Colombia?**

*Slumdog Millionaire* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Colombia. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Slumdog Millionaire, and is it suitable for children?**

*Slumdog Millionaire* is certified 15 in the UK and is not suitable for children. It moves between childhood hardship and a game show, and the childhood passages include poverty and violence that the editing hurries past rather than dwells on. Older teenagers should manage it; younger viewers and the squeamish will find the early scenes distressing.

**How does Slumdog Millionaire compare to City of God?**

*Slumdog Millionaire* is a romance that borrows the pace of a thriller, while [*City of God*](https://film.one/film/city-of-god) is a crime film that stays with the violence it shows. Both are fast, both are troubled by how exciting their cutting and music make suffering look. Meirelles's film is the more frightening and the more clearly told; Boyle's is the warmer and the easier evening.

**Is Slumdog Millionaire based on a true story or a book?**

*Slumdog Millionaire* is based on a novel by Vikas Swarup, adapted for the screen by Simon Beaufoy, not on a true story. The film's romantic fable leans heavily on coincidence, and we found the screenplay asks more of it than the characters can comfortably carry. You do not need to have read the book to follow it.

**What should I watch after Slumdog Millionaire?**

After *Slumdog Millionaire*, try [*City of God*](https://film.one/film/city-of-god) (2002, Fi1m 86): For another fast, troubling account of young lives shaped by urban violence. Then [*The Lunchbox*](https://film.one/film/the-lunchbox) (2013, Fi1m 75): Another Mumbai romance, with room for hesitation and ordinary disappointment; and [*The Umbrellas of Cherbourg*](https://film.one/film/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg) (1964, Fi1m 88): Colour and music carry a romance that takes separation seriously.

### Reviews we read (17)

- **Empire**, Ian Nathan (90/100, inferred): The critic hails it as Danny Boyle's finest since Trainspotting, celebrating its thrillingly upbeat picaresque energy, colourful Mumbai portrait and infectious vitality despite some familiar contrivances. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/slumdog-millionaire-review/)
- **Evening Standard**, Nick Roddick (80/100, inferred): The review calls the film a triumph that recaptures the energy of Trainspotting, praising its Dickensian epic scope, vibrant visuals and ultimately uplifting story set against Mumbai's harsh realities. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/survival-on-a-5050-lifeline-7409530.html)
- **Radio Times**, Adam Smith (4/5): The hyper-energetic rags-to-riches tale dazzles and delights, succeeding for the most part; the real star is the city of Mumbai brought to life by Boyle and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-djhdu4/slumdog-millionaire/)
- **Screen Daily** (80/100, inferred): Boyle’s bravura command elevates the melodramatic story into a dazzling crowd-pleaser teeming with the sights, sounds and sensations of modern India; it builds into a moving tale of hope and the inspirational power of love. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/features/slumdog-millionaire-/4040676.article)
- **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (4/5): The critic praises Boyle's energetic, colorful direction that turns a tale of hardship into an upbeat, warm fairytale full of humanity, highlighting the vivid depiction of India by Boyle and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/slumdog-millionaire)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (70/100, inferred): Lane finds the film a formulaic but energetic crowd-pleaser whose unembarrassed energy brings the obvious to the boil, with no surprises but plenty of verve. He singles out the way the filmmakers get their lenses dirty on Mumbai's streets and the closing Bollywood dance number for note. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/11/24/hard-times-the-current-cinema-anthony-lane)
- **The Independent** (50/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's energetic direction, exuberance and vivid depiction of Mumbai but finds the mix of graphic poverty, violence and wish-fulfilment entertainment tonally jarring and queasy. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/slumdog-millionaire-danny-boyle-120-mins-15-1299025.html)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert: Ebert calls the film a breathless, exciting story that is heartbreaking and exhilarating, a personal triumph for Danny Boyle that combines game-show suspense with the energy of City of God. He singles out its dazzling cinematography, breathless editing, driving music and headlong momentum for praise. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/slumdog-millionaire-2008)
- **Slant Magazine**: The review calls the film an authentically affecting crowd-pleaser and a cynicism-free celebration of fate, love, and social camaraderie that is genuine and sweet. It praises the gripping aesthetic and emotional dynamism conveyed through bold colors, extreme angles, and Indian music. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/slumdog-millionaire/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Peter Brunette: The critic finds the film solidly entertaining and energizing but feels it does not warrant all the buzz, describing it as thin in conception and execution. The Indian angle and infusion of Bollywood spectacle into Boyle's pumped-up style are singled out as the best elements. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/slumdog-millionare-125961/)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis: Dargis describes the film as a gaudy, gorgeous rush of color, sound and motion and an undeniably attractive package that mixes thrills, tears and armchair tourism. She singles out the seductive visual style and the cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle for praise while noting it makes for a better viewing experience than a reflective one. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/movies/12slum.html)
- **The Telegraph**: Danny Boyle's film is the equivalent of Usain Bolt's performance at the Olympics: funny, shocking and turbo-charged. It is a wonderful tribute to Mumbai and its people. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/4176184/Slumdog-Millionaire-review.html)
- **Digital Spy**, Ben Rawson-Jones (95/100, inferred): The critic calls it a tense and engaging masterpiece that works on many levels as an epic love story, cat-and-mouse thriller, social meditation and quiz show. They single out the intricately structured screenplay adapted from the novel and Danny Boyle's energetic, multi-faceted direction for praise, noting its balance of tension, grit, humour and strong performances from the cast. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a140466/slumdog-millionaire/)
- **/Film**, David Chen (9.5/10): The critic hails it as his favorite film of the year, a exhilarating journey through Indian street life with stunning cinematography and music, ultimately a uplifting love story that makes cliches fresh. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/501396/movie-review-slumdog-millionaire/)
- **Eye for Film**, Anton Bitel (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it an unabashed crowdpleaser that blends melodramatic romance with harsh realities of Indian underclass life, praising its vibrant energy while noting its grounding in social truths. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/slumdog-millionaire-film-review-by-anton-bitel)
- **Collider**, Steven Weintraub: The film is not terribly deep but is exceedingly good at what it does, transcending its story concept into gripping magical realism. It singles out the virtuoso performances from child actors and the deliriously romantic final third for praise. [Read](https://collider.com/slumdog-millionaire-telluride-movie-review/)
- **Paste**, Tim Regan-Porter: It mostly lives up to the hype as a stylistic triumph and important evolution in depictions of India, propelled by a taut script and frenetic energy. It singles out the wondrous vibrance of Mumbai captured on location and the film's layered exploration of its characters for praise. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/danny-boyle/slumdog-millionare)

## Details

- **Director:** Danny Boyle
- **Director:** Danny Boyle
- **Screenplay:** Simon Beaufoy
- **Novel:** Vikas Swarup
- **Cinematography:** Anthony Dod Mantle
- **Editor:** Chris Dickens
- **Music:** A. R. Rahman
- **Production design:** Mark Digby
- **Costume design:** Suttirat Anne Larlarb
- **Producer:** Christian Colson
- **Cast:** Dev Patel as Older Jamal; Freida Pinto as Older Latika; Madhur Mittal as Older Salim; Anil Kapoor as Prem; Mahesh Manjrekar as Javed; Saurabh Shukla as Sergeant Srinivas; Irrfan Khan as Police Inspector; Ankur Vikal as Maman
- **Runtime:** 2h 01m
- **First release (the US):** 30 August 2008
- **Genres:** Drama, Romance
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Winner, 2008); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Winner, 2008); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Winner, 2008)
- **Budget:** $15 million
- **Box office:** $378 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIzbwV7on6Q

## Where to watch in Colombia

- Amazon Prime Video: streaming

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AR, AU, BE, BG, BR, CL, CO, CZ, FR, GB, HR, HU, IE, MX, NZ, PA, PL, RO, RS, SI. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2009: Best Sound Editing (nominated); Best Cinematography (won); Best Director (won); Best Film Editing (won); Best Original Score (won); Best Picture (won); Best Sound (won); Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (won)
- Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film 2009: Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film (won)
- BAFTA Film Awards 2009: Best Film (won)
- European Film Award for Best Actor 2009: European Film Award for Best Actor (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Cinematographer 2009: European Film Award for Best Cinematographer (won)
- European Film Award for Best Director 2009: European Film Award for Best Director (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Film 2009: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Screenwriter 2009: European Film Award for Best Screenwriter (nominated)
- European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2009: European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film (won)
- Golden Globes 2009: Best Motion Picture – Drama (won); Best Original Score (won)
- Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film 2008: Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film (won)

## If you liked this

- *City of God* (2002), Fi1m 86: For another fast, troubling account of young lives shaped by urban violence. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/city-of-god.md)
- *The Lunchbox* (2013), Fi1m 75: Another Mumbai romance, with room for hesitation and ordinary disappointment. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lunchbox.md)
- *The Umbrellas of Cherbourg* (1964), Fi1m 88: Colour and music carry a romance that takes separation seriously. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg.md)
- *Tsotsi* (2005): A harder look at poverty, violence and the possibility of tenderness.
- *Cinema Paradiso* (1988), Fi1m 84: For childhood memories and sentiment delivered without much fear of embarrassment. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/cinema-paradiso.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/slumdog-millionaire