Slumdog Millionare is one of those films where everyone in the theatre stays seated until halfway through the scrolling credits, where silence reigns in the corridors that lead out of the cinema.

To me, it’s also a film that sparks (or rather: fuels) the desire not to be indifferent to the realities of our world in even the slightest way.

Every moment of the film was immersing, yet overwhelming at the same time. The unconventional shot compositions and amazing cinematography sucked me into the world of the story. Also, the contrasting reality to the glamorous Indian world is reflected very well through the constant flashbacks of Jamal’s life – the reality that often conventiently flashes past our own daily lives.

The acting is most definitely one of the central pillars on which the movie’s success rests. Especially Dev Patel’s Jamal is magnificent. The young Jamal (Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail) and Salim (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar) also perfectly portray the extremely harsh and emotionally-destroying lives the young boys have to endure.

The movie has been described as a ‘feel good movie’, but I can’t bring myself to agree. The incredible sorrow and hard blows life deals Jamal overshadows the happy ‘destined’ ending. I think the movie is rather a reflection on how unfair life is and how the ‘unfairness’ of life is determined by your circumstances.

If you have to see one movie this year, it has to be this one. The 8 Oscars it has won are very well deserved. Every second of the 120 minutes is worth watching.