Slumdog Millionaire: Will the Real Hero Please Stand Up?
Wow! Wow! WOW!
That’s all I could say when I saw Slumdog Millionaire and I’m still saying it now.
WOW!
For anyone whose seen the movie, you’ll know why I’ve turned monosyllabic.
Every single thing about Slumdog Millionaire is fantastic. There are so many layers of the storyline I’ve spent for reliving every delicious moment.
For me, the movie’s extra meaningful because of the theme of my third book, The Quest to Have it All: Finding the path to purpose and peace and this year’s theme of the same for my radio show, The Quest to Have it All.
Slumdog Millionaire is one heck of a case study in heroes!
It occurs to me most think of a hero as an intrinsically good person who goes on a journey quest…meets a bunch of seemingly insurmountable obstacles…almost fails (several times)…emerges the victor and…voila’…a hero is born.
In Slumdog Millionaire this is Jamal Malik.
Born in the Dharavi slums (India), Jamal’s mother is murdered during the 1993 anti-Muslim attacks, leaving he and his older brother, Salim Malik, orphaned and living on the streets.
Thus starts the hero’s journey.
Though the exact ages of the brothers is never revealed it could easily be assumed they are in the eight to ten year old range.
How to survive on the streets at such young ages is a double entendre when you think about it. Certainly survival means finding ways to take care of basic needs…food, water, clothing…sustaining physical life.
But there’s another kind of survival.
Survival of the spirit.
What kind of survival skills does it take to keep your soul intact when you’re an eight or nine year old child whose every waking moment is spent trying to stay alive.
And…you’re a child…what or who preys on you in the moments you’re not awake?
There are tons of places you can scrounge for food and water. But where can anyone…especially a child…scrounge for safety and love?
Slumdog Millionaire opens with eighteen year old Jamal being tortured and interrogated by a police inspector in Mumbai, India (where Jamal lives).
He is accused of cheating as a contestant on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”.
Through a series of childhood flashbacks we see how he came to know the answer to all but two questions. Through those childhood flashbacks of beatings, betrayals, murder, kidnapping, prostitution and rape Jamal never falters in keeping faith, hope and love alive in his spirit.
Audiences love him.
I love him.
A hero from the start, eight year old Jamal comes to the rescue of another village orphan, Latika. One night, Jamal and Salim have found a place to sleep and stay relatively dry during a raging storm. They, both, see a little girl staring at them from outside in the deluge.
Though you can’t see her face, the effect of her, so tiny, standing perfectly still and completely silent while battered by wind and stinging rain is heartbreaking.
Of course Jamal wants to offer her shelter. Salim refuses. Since Salim is the older brother and self-proclaimed boss, Jamal struggles between defiance of his sibling and doing what he knows to be right.
Unable to do anything but what’s right, he waits until he thinks his brother is asleep and brings Latika inside.
No great hero’s journey is complete without the presence of great romance. Slumdog Millionaire is no exception.
As the story unfolds, Jamal comes to know Latika as his destiny. No matter how many times he looses her or how, he finds the way back. Even when she’s contemptuous of his declared love and throws him away, the next step Jamal takes is the one he hopes will bring him back to “her”.
The usual hero/great love of the ages story usually involves a chiseled, muscle bound hot guy and super model in distress. At the pinnacle of the saga, the music swells and said hot hero sweeps said super model into his arms, plants a big one on her and the credits roll.
Uh, uh. Not this time.
Weeelll…mostly “uh, uh not this time”…the woman who plays the adult Latika is, in fact, a super model.
Earlier in the movie, Jamal’s own brother Salim cuts Latika’s face when she tries to run away from the crime lord who has purchased and enslaved her.
When Jamal…with no discernable chiseling or muscles…gets to the pinnacle of Slumdog Millionaire he does, indeed, take Latika in his arms…and very gently kisses… the disfiguring scar running the length of her beautiful face. Then he stares into her eyes and does not kiss her on the lips until she asks him to do so.
For those incredibly tender moments, some of the most romantic moments I’ve ever seen, anybody that had anything whatsoever to do with the making of Slumdog Millionaire is a hero!
How many of us lose hope over less?
How many of us lose faith over more?
How many of us speak, act or think without the presence of love over nothing?
The point is, no matter how large or small the obstacle…how long the journey…the hero inside all of us can keep the faith, hope and love alive in our spirit (The Hero’s Journey).
Because Jamal was able to do so he is the protagonist’s protagonist. The quintessential hero. He is an intrinsic and undeniable great seed.
But what about someone who’s intrinsically and undeniably a bad seed?
Is it possible to have bestowed upon them the title of hero?
Find out in “Will the REAL Hero Please Stand Up”
The Sequel…
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
I too absolutely love this movie. I could not get enough when i first saw it and just caught it again about a week ago. One great movie!
HAVENT SEEN THE MOVIE BUT WILL NOW THANKS
I live in South Africa, much like India we experience a great deal of poverty. We are aware of the millions of street children who survive on the streets of South Africa. Much like Jamal I guess. Your comments and this movie, which I have seen and found fascinating encourages me to find out more about the lives of these children. Perhaps there are some wonderful stories out there waiting to be told.
It was an awesome movie!! Interesting how both brothers had the same experience but chose (?) to deal with them differently. And talk about learning from your lifes lessons.
Truly a movie made with meaning and potential to change the lives of many.
[...] “Will the REAL Hero Please Stand Up” I examined the hero Jamal Malik from “Slumdog [...]
Leave your response!
Tao Quotes
Guest authors:
Archives
Daily Stars with Shelley von Strunckel
www.shelleyvonstrunckel.comNo Aries is happy about being cornered into doing anything. But the circumstances triggered by your ruler Mars' encounter with the fair but tough Saturn indicate exactly that. Battle these if you must. Ultimately, however, you'll realise that tedious as these seem, tacking them would be in your best interests. By Shelley von Strunckel
Obviously you're unhappy that others are making decisions that should be yours to deal with. And this is especially true now, since these are bringing changes as disruptive as they'd be unnecessary. Or so you think. Discuss this with the person in question. Their reasoning is likely to win you over. By Shelley von Strunckel
The secret to getting through the next few days successfully is to regard even the simplest of arrangements as but one stage in many. That way when the unsettling and often unexpected developments triggered by the current rather intense planetary activity take place, you'll make whatever adjustments are needed, and without any dramas. By Shelley von Strunckel
If you're worried about something or someone, you'll usually reflect on past experience until you feel you understand what you're facing. However, with so much in transition, such a review will only confuse matters. Instead, discuss concerns openly with others. Daunting as this seems initially, what you learn could revolutionise your outlook. By Shelley von Strunckel
With both Saturn and, as of now, the impatient Mars accenting your perspective on various crucial decisions, you could rush into things. The trick is to react swiftly but make no arrangements you can't reorganise. What you discover over the coming weeks could be surprising, enough to substantially alter your thinking and priorities. By Shelley von Strunckel
Now that both Saturn and, as of yesterday, Mars, have departed your sign, you get a break. This is a relief, but you won't entirely escape this period of dramatic change. Rather, you'll no longer feel you're responsible for holding everything together, as you have for most of the past three years. By Shelley von Strunckel
As a Libra you often agonise over decisions. This is particularly the case now, because situations are pressing and you're conscious that what you opt for will profoundly influence others. Still, your priority must be you. Discuss this if you must, but only to explain your thinking. Not to obtain anybody's approval. By Shelley von Strunckel
When there's anything you regard as unwise or simply don't want to do, you'll find a diplomatic yet firm way to avoid it. Often without those involved realising they've been refused. Now, however, you're urged to talk this through. Only once you do, will you recognise just how much you'd be missing. By Shelley von Strunckel
Occasionally you'll gloss over tedious details because you expect others to be as bored with them as you are. On the contrary, not only are certain individuals actually interested in these, allow them to take the lead and they'll offer invaluable insights and guidance about how you should be handling such matters. By Shelley von Strunckel
Inevitably, your ruler Saturn's recent move into the gracious Libra will make you even more conscious than usual about the need to handle sensitive situations diplomatically. Still, with things so urgent at the moment, you'll probably have to employ a firm hand when it comes to planning, but combine it with a gentle touch. By Shelley von Strunckel
Sometimes it's not until others challenge your views that you actually stop to think them through. This certainly appears to be the case now. Annoying as a few of the issues being raised seem, they're forcing you to examine what's behind certain ideals and objectives. And just when such a process is timely. By Shelley von Strunckel
You're about to go to battle over an issue that simply isn't as important as it once was. But you resist acknowledging that things have changed. Do so and you'll not only liberate yourself from a tedious and increasingly time-consuming drama, you'll be free for other, far more rewarding, pursuits. By Shelley von Strunckel
© 2009 Shelley von Strunckel
Recent Posts
Most Commented
Most Viewed