Slumdog Millionaire

So this post may not be directly correlated with my trip, but it does happen to pertain to Indian culture and the best film of the year. So I think it's worth a look. Slumdog Millionaire recently took home the Golden Globe for best dramatic film of 2008, trumping movies like The Dark Knight, Benjamin Button, and Revolutionary Road. After watching it last night, I can honestly say it deserves every accolade it is presented and more so. 

A film that truly captures the essence of India, Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a boy who is a contestant on the Mumbai version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Having won the big prize, he's interrogated for cheating, with each answer to a question revealing the life story behind it. A film lacking sex and language, it is one of the cleaner movies to have swept the best picture nod in a few years.

The magic in this film for me was that it truly captures Indian culture. The cinematography is not quick to shy away from the truth: it portrays India as a dirty, unsanitary and distant place from the comfort of America that we are used to. You will be fully immersed in the landscape and into the lives of the characters. 

Go now and watch it, if you can!