Photo above by Humayunn N A Peerzaada
Slumdog Millionaire, a film just nominated this week for 10 Oscars, is about more than a quiz show; it’s a journey through India that raises existential questions about fate and chance.
At the core of Slumdog Millionaire is the question: Have our lives already been written before us, or do we ultimately influence our destiny? The answers to the question unfold against a vibrant and colorful, but often raw geographical and human landscape in which India is as much a character as the protagonist, Jamal.
At last week’s Golden Globes, director Danny Boyle (whose past work includes The Beach , a polarizing film amongst travelers), picked up the best drama and best director awards for his tale of Indian slum dweller Jamal Malik, who finds himself one question away from winning the TV quiz show, “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”
But before possibly walking away with the prize money, the nation’s hearts, and even the love of his life, Jamal has to endure torture at the hands of Mumbai’s brutal police, who believe he cheated at the game. The suspicious inspector asks, “How could a slumdog know the answers to those questions?”
The answer: Destiny.
“I knew I’d find you in the end. It’s our destiny.”
Under interrogation, Jamal tells the inspector his incredible life story. None of the young boy’s experiences from childhood to this moment, sitting handcuffed in a chair, are of his own doing. In fact, all Jamal ever did was simply survive as life propelled him from one life threatening or life affirming experience to the next. As we come to realise, though, there was greater meaning to it all.
Underlying the story of Jamal’s life are questions that affect us all: Are our lives really mapped out for us? Does everything happen for a reason? Surely our lives aren’t pre-determined; we shape them through our decisions. Choice, not chance…right?
These are questions with particular resonance for travelers, who know that the momentary decision to go one way or the other will change one’s journey– and even one’s life–and nothing is likely to be the same again. We can’t leave such meaningful decisions to the heavens; we’re in control. Or are we?
A Nation of Apparent Contradictions
You’ll ponder these questions throughout Jamal’s story, but the real subtext of this film is India. Danny Boyle’s visceral film-making drops you right into the streets. Filming hand-held, guerrilla style, on location, Boyle conveys the the beauty and extremes of India–from dilapidated Mumbai shantytowns and endless garbage-strewn landfills to exhilarating train journeys and colorful mass riverside laundrettes– in an intimate way.
‘You don’t take [Mumbai] for granted, “ Boyle said in an interview promoting the film. “You know nothing about how it assaults your senses. For a dynamic film-maker like myself, it’s everything I could ever want.”
That “everything” includes characters. By setting Jamal and his narrative among the country’s lowlifes, degenerates, innocents, and angels, Boyle ensures that Jamal’s experiences shock and inspire viewers in equal measure.
“I think one of the reasons the film seems to work for people is that it is very extreme,” Boyle said. “That’s what they have there. You’ve got to portray it as an extreme experience. Everything is full-on.”
“It’s a tough place! There’s a lot of poor people living there leading very tough lives. You’ve got portray that accurately. There are beggars who have been crippled deliberately to make them better beggars. You’ve got to get your head around that.”
“You get it rougher in India at the moment,” concluded Boyle, Empire. “….[I]t allows you to tell a story like this.”
Final Answer?
Beyond raising questions of destiny and beautifully portraying Mumbai’s darker side, “Slumdog Millionaire” is also likely to help travelers reflect on their own experiences of India.
译文:
《贫民窟的百万富翁》中的命运的挑战
《贫民窟的百万富翁》，刚刚荣获10项奥斯卡奖项提名的电影，不只是一部关于一个智力竞赛节目的电影，也是一次唤起人们思考关于命运和机遇的存在性问题的印度之旅。
《贫民窟的百万富翁》的反映的核心问题是：我们的人生是否是前世注定的，或者我们能否最终影响自己的命运？这个问题的答案随着一个充满生气，多姿多彩的印度但更多是它的原始地貌和人文景观的展现而娓娓道来。
在上周的金球奖颁奖典礼上，导演丹尼· 博伊尔（他过去的作品包括很受游客欢迎的《海滩》，因其导演的《贫民窟的百万富翁》摘得了最佳影片奖，最佳导演奖。该影片是关于住在印度的贫民窟的年轻人贾马尔 马里克的故事。在电视智力竞赛节目“谁想成为百万富翁？”中，他离赢得大奖仅差一个问题之遥。
在赢走奖金，全国人民热情，还有他生命的至爱之前，贾马尔因为被怀疑在比赛中作弊而不得不忍受孟买警察的残暴折磨。怀疑他的检察官问道：“你这样一个贫民窟的穷鬼怎么知道这些问题的答案？”
答案是：命运。
“我知道我最终会找到你的。这是我们的命运。”
在审讯中，贾马尔向检察官讲述了他不可思议的生活经历。这个年轻的小伙子带着手铐坐在椅子上，他所讲述的从童年到现在的生活经历并不是他自己所做过事。事实上，生活迫使他在艰难险境中挣扎，他所做的只是努力生存。这其中的意义远比我们体会到的更深刻。
贾马尔的故事的背后潜藏着一些对我们产生影响的问题：我们的人生真的是注定的吗？任何事情发生都有原因吗？我们的人生当然不是预先决定好的。我们的决定影响我们的人生。是选择而不是机遇，对吧？
这些问题在游客当中引起了强烈的共鸣，因为有游客知道瞬间的决定——选择一条路而不是另一条，将会改变一个人的旅程——甚至是一个人的人生——一切都不可能和以前一样了。我们不能让上天来替我们做这么重要的决定；我们有掌控权，不是吗？
一个矛盾突出的国家
你可能在看贾马尔的故事时会思考这些问题，但这部电影的真正潜台词是印度。丹尼·博伊尔的电影制作手法让你置身于大街上。人工拍摄，选址上的游击战式的风格，丹尼·博伊尔传达出了印度的美和极端——从破烂不堪的孟买棚户区，漫无边际的垃圾堆，到让人愉快的火车之旅，还有河边的绚丽多彩的洗衣场景——以一种亲近的方式。
“你不要想当然地理解孟买。”博伊尔在一次影片的推广宣传会的采访中说。你不知道它怎样刺痛你的神经。“对于像我这样有影响力的电影制片人，这一切就是我想要的。”
“一切”包括影片的人物。通过把贾马尔和他的故事置于印度的下层阶级的人，堕落者，无辜者和善良的人背景当中，博伊尔肯定地说贾马尔的经历震撼和鼓舞了观众。
“我认为该影片受人们欢迎的原因之一是它很极端。”博伊尔说。“印度存在着极端。你得把那儿的生活当作一种极端的经历描绘出来。一切都是轰动的。
“这是一个艰苦穷苦的地方！许多穷人住在那儿，过着艰难的生活。你要把这些准确地描绘出来。有些乞丐被故意弄成残疾以便能更好地行乞。你要了解这些。”
“你当时感受到的印度更艰苦，”博伊尔总结说。“你可以讲述这样的故事。”
最终的答案？
除了提出关于命运的问题和唯美地表达了孟买的阴暗面之外，《贫民窟的百万富翁》也可能帮助游客思索他们在印度的经历。