The Story

Original idea: Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?

The autor, Vikas Swarup, got the idea of writing Slumdog Millionaire from the TV show called Who wants to be a millionaire?. This TV show was first shown on ITV1 in the UK in 1998, and it has been seen in hundreds of countries around the world. The indian version started in 2000, and it was hosted by two Bollywood actors: Amitabh and Shahrukh Khan. In Spain, the TV show started in 1999 and it was presented by Carlos Sobera.

About the plot

Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of Ram Mohammad Thomas, a boy that was born in India. Father Timothy (a Catholic priest) took care of him. His name refers to the three religions: Ram from the Hindu religion, Mohammad from the Muslim, and Thomas from Christianity. Ram was a young boy who was born in Delhi (India) and grows up in the slums of Mumbai (one of the biggest cities in the world). It is a very poor city, and 60% of its 13 million people live in slum buildings. The biggest problem of the city is the water supply. Ram decided to take part in the TV show Who Will Win a Billion? because of several reasons. He wins the prize, so the organizers of the show thought that a boy that has lived all his live in the slums couldn't win the TV show, so they accused him of cheating. They punish him, but when Ram's lawyer arrives and asks him why did he know all the answers, he tells the story of his life.

The film

The film based on the book was also called Slumdog Millionaire. It was filmed in India in 2008, and the main actors were Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, who have been in a romantic relationship since then. The film was nominated to 12 Oscars in 2009 and won 8 (including best director and best movie)

People, Places and Events

Surdas was a saint, poet and musician who lived in the 15th century and was born in India. He was blind. It is said that he left his family when he was 6 years old because he followed a group of singers who in that moment were in the village. Surdas wrote over a hundred thousand poems, however, only eight thousand are still known nowadays. Like Surdas, Ram Mohammad left home when he was very little, and although he wasn't blind, he met people who were. 

The story takes place in Delhi (India), and it shows different sides of the city. On one hand, it shows the suburbs, where poor people live in very difficult conditions. On the other hand, it also shows the richest part of the city (music stars, corrupts, worldwide known TV programmes...). An indian war is explained in chapter 5 of the story.

About the Taj Mahal, it is the most important building in India. It was build by Emperor Shahjahan in 1631, and it took 22 years to be built. The Emperor had fallen in love with a beautiful woman who he called Mumtaz Mahal, which means "the chosen one". They got married and they had 14 children, but she died while she was giving birth to her last son, so her husband promised her to build the most beautiful building in her honor. Nowadays, the palace receives 4 million visitors each year.