Slumdog Millionaire...

I decided to do a movie marathon today...what better than to catch up with new movies on a lazy Sunday afternoon yea? and i've been wanting to watch Slumdog Millionaire ever since it came out... there was so much buzz around that movie...as if Hollywood has never come up with a more bizarre movie than this one...

It's interesting how the movie opened with a "Who wants to be a millionaire" type of question about how Jamal Malik, an uneducated young man from the slum of Bombay won 20 million rupees in "Who wants to be a millionaire"...and the ending gave the answer, D. it is written. it reminded me of 'The Alchemist' where the word 'maktub' was used very often...and the word was loosely translated as 'it is written'...

Jesus said that "blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted...blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth..." Matthew 5:3-5...and i think this truth was demonstrated in Jamal's life in the movie (though Jamal is a Muslim)...only God can do such a miracle and make him know and choose the correct answer every single time...God chose the weak to triumph over those who think they are stronger and better...

I think there's a Jamal in all of us...who is willing to go through shit just to get what he has dreamt of (like when he jumped into the shithole so he could get to Amitabh Bachan to get his autograph)... who would risk his life for someone he loves (like how he went back to look for Latika even though the gangleader was looking for him)...and who is willing to take the chance for a better future (like how he joined the gameshow so that he could find his girl)...

But i think while Jamal is the idealistic hero, his brother, Salim was also a hero in his own ways...he may not have always did the right things and i'm sure many who have watched the movie despised his character...but he did love and protect his brother from the gangleader...and in the end, he let Latika go so she could be with Jamal...

Anyway, talking about quizzes..i remembered when i was back in form 6, Kian Ming and i entered a science quiz which was held in Victoria Institution...of course there was no 1 million ringgit to be won...in fact whatever money we won went to our school...but the point was...we won..and for me, that itself was a miracle...coz like Jamal, i probably had the incredulous look on my face each time a question was posted to me...why? coz i knew the answer to every question...and so did Kian Ming, i think...ah...the taste of winning...such sweet victory...sigh...i missed my school days...