Book vs. Movie: Slumdog Millionaire
By Eric Hughes
January 5, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Slumdog Millionaire
For some reason, a lot of people I've run into these days tell me they had no idea Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire was adapted from a novel. Perhaps its because Vikas Swarup's 2005 literary debut was published under a different name (Q&A).
It may also have something to do with the book's little attention in the mainstream. Besides positive reviews in publications like The Washington Post and The New York Times, Q&A barely received any other accolades. It's not like any major award hardware is currently sitting on Swarup's bookshelf.
On the other hand, Slumdog Millionaire has turned into a smash success for Fox Searchlight. Since its November 12th release date, the $15-million budgeted drama has already accumulated more than $5 million here in the States. (And this is without appearing in more than 600 or so theaters in a single weekend). 94% of reviews at Rotten Tomatoes are positive, a number of critics placed the movie on their top ten lists for 2008 and the foreign press nominated it for four Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture – Drama. Winners will be announced on January 11th.
Having consumed both the book and scribe Simon Beaufoy's (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day) vastly different interpretation of Swarup's original narrative, I've set up another Book vs. Movie battle here at BOP. People may be more familiar with the movie adaptation, but are they missing out on an even better story from Vikas Swarup?
The Book
Similar to something by an author like Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner), who more or less introduced me to what life is like in Afghanistan through two powerful works of fiction, Q&A did about the same, though this time in a different part of the world. The setting for Swarup's book is India, and our hero is Ram Mohammad Thomas, a poor and parentless 18-year-old who reboots his life by winning the top prize on a game show not unlike Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
However, the show's producers aren't convinced a young person with a tragic background like Ram's could ever correctly answer all 12 questions. (How is a boy without regular access to the Internet, let alone a real education, able to recall answers to questions related to poetry, cricket and the Indian armed forces?) Thus, they accuse him of cheating. What comes next, separated into chapters, are 12 extraordinary events from Ram's childhood that demonstrate how he came to know the crucial answers when he needed them most.
I took a liking to Q&A's format, which is structured into a strict pattern, chapter by chapter. Save for the prologue, which introduces what is to come from first-person narrator Ram, chapters begin with a tale from Ram's past, which tend to go on for about 20 pages or so. They end with Ram conversing with his lawyer, Smita, who then watches footage from the taping and comes to realize how the story Ram just related to her influenced his answer to the given question.
What's remarkable about Swarup's story is how simple it is. Q&A is almost too easy to follow, because Swarup uses only the most basic language in telling his story. A downside to this is character dialogue, which is regrettably poor. What they say to one another doesn't necessarily fit the situation and comes across as a bit contrived.
But don't let this debacle stand too much in the way of what Q&A tries to be: a heroic story of a young boy who overcomes the most difficult of obstacles, whether it's growing up without biological parents, witnessing murder (and committing a couple, too) and barely escaping the outstretched hands of some unjust and treacherous Indians.
The Movie
Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire is anything but faithful to Vikas Swarup's Q&A. What remains the same is a young boy's miraculous run on a television game show. (Though this time he's on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and not the novel's fictitious knock off, Who Wants to Win a Billion?) Everything else? Completely different. It's basically a story overhaul. Even Jamal's (formerly Ram) motives for getting on the show are altered. He's there not for fame and fortune, but rather to possibly catch the eye of a lost loved one named Latika, who he assumes is watching the popular show.
Salim is no longer a best friend, but a brother, which helps make ensuing events between the boys more powerful. And I like how Jamal keeps in better contact with Salim and new girl Latika. Instead of following a main character who operates more often than not on his own (like in Q&A), we get someone who faces troubling circumstances with two others typically on his side. For me, this helps increase the significance of their reunions and departures.
I also found Jamal's childhood stories in the film to be stronger. Unlike in the book, where a "story" from Ram's past could be something as simple as an irrelevant person in the room pulling Ram aside to tell him an anecdote on war, love or what have you, Slumdog Millionaire brings Jamal to the forefront of every tale.
Of course, Slumdog Millionaire has the benefit of being a Danny Boyle production, too. The 52-year-old filmmaker, who I'm familiar with from films like Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, is a master behind the camera lens. The pic is, for lack of a better term, visually interesting and packed with distinctive camera angles. The picture quality is also at times grainy, making Jamal's past take on a documentary-like feel.
The Verdict
Both the book and its movie adaptation earn recommendations from me. But in this case the movie is the better product. Had Slumdog Millionaire been a visual retelling of Q&A, I'd be willing to bet that Q&A would come out on top. However, the Fox Searchlight pic is anything but. Instead of rehashing the narrative, Slumdog Millioniare is in many ways its very own story. And I found a lot more worked on screen than in the pages.