Slumdog youth

{Representation of

By Jodie, Helen & Sophie

Youth is portrayed in the following link to emphasize the carefree nature of the children, therefore we can empathize as the audience and the characters forget the poverty theme of the film, and focus more on the typical adventurous stereotype of children:

http://youtu.be/OgZ399tSsQo

The scene of the chase shows the children sticking together, the only adults are authority figures which highlights that they are orphans. Even though they are running away from the authority figures, there is no sense that they are afraid of them.

Even though there is a strong sense that they have a childhood, the child characters act a lot older than their age. For example, they are responsible for getting their own food and shelter, and they are responsible for looking after infants (When Salim makes Latika take care of a baby).

Jamal’s character throughout Slumdog Millionaire is portrayed to be naïve; he plays on the idea of destiny and how he and Latika will one day be together. Salim turns into a criminal to protect Jamal, as does Latika as she protects Jamal by becoming the possession of Salim. By Salim and Latika doing this, Jamal’s character becomes more and more pathetic as the films continues. Although Jamal rescues Latika from the rain and shared their shelter with her (from that point on, they referred to themselves as the three musketeers.)

Although Jamal may be naïve he is still streetwise, however this is also because of Salim as he teaches him to be this way. When they are teenagers they make their own business by tricking tourists of the Taj Mahal and stealing their shoes, this shows that they’re desperate, but independent as they don’t have role models to guide them and teach them right from wrong.

Throughout the film Jamal, Salim and Latika are all young characters; however as the film continues it shows how the characters climb the hierarchy – for example, Jamal ends up winning ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’, which he shares his fortune with Latika and Salim works for gangsters but earns good money. Though Jamal and Latika have a happy ending, Salim gets shot in a bath full of money which could connote success.

From when Jamal and Latika first meet, they become companions as shown through the narrative. For example, thenumerous times when they reunite showsthat Jamal is relentless to give up his hope for Latika; also to fulfil his belief in destiny.