Slumdog Millionaire

A nice film. An intriguing plot. The poor and underprivileged of Mumbai's slums were not exploited. There was a realistic presentation. The circumstances the lead character, Jamal, faces and overcomes are admirable. This is not going to be a review of the film though. I am not a critic and this film should simply be viewed and discussed, not reviewed.

One scene in the movie is what has me up at 2am. A child's innocence can often lead him to do things in haste. Decisions made in haste can often backfire and cause more harm than good. As the devil or one of his henchmen once said, 'the best laid plans' - any how, what would compel a person to jump into a pile of human feces? Perhaps faced with a life of death scenario, it's not hard to imagine opting to hold your breath while covered in #2 rather than breathing no more. How about something less dramatic. Imagine a motivating factor that stems from the heart in the form of passion or love. Could you love something enough that in a matter of a few seconds, it is deemed worthwhile to be covered head-to-toe in shit?

Jamal is a huge a Amitabh fan and he keeps a picture of him in his pocket at all times. While negotiating a shy bowel movement in the slums, the locals begin hollering "Amitabh's helicopter, Amitabh's helicopter!!" One of Jamal's friends locks him in the outhouse he was using leaving Jamal with only one possible exit. He takes the picture of Amitabh out of his pocket to protect it from the awful fate that his body is about to be subjected to. His 4 1/2 feet frame goes about 4 1/4 feet down into a pile of what is clearly disgusting waste. The arm holding the picture stretched upward the entire time, was not damaged. Upon climbing out of the wastehole, he proceeds to run looking like 4 scoops of chocolate ice cream without a cone yelling "Amitabh, Amitabh!!" Clearly aided by the stench of his newly aquired body odor, he reaches Amitabh through a path cleared by his stormy Category 2 descent. He gets to Amitabh and he gets the superstar's autograph. Arms raised in ceremonious fashion, Jamal does Johnny Drama proud with a "Victory!!!" pose.

The sheer enthusiasm in his pursuit of an autograph was thought provoking. He chased what his heart wanted. He did it without regard to any common sense. When guided by common sense, common results are achieved. It takes the heart of a child, which is wrapped in a membrane of innocence and uncorrupted passion. The passion that leads an adult includes greed, lust, ego. Self-gratification is a common deterrant to achieving life's passions. But the innocence that a child brings to the table is clearly the remedy to making life worthwhile. So what if there is a pile of shit on the way to making the dream come true. Isn't it all about the goal anyway? Does it really matter if everyone thinks you smell like poop? In the end, when you have the autograph and you have the satisfaction of knowing you did everything you could to make your dream come true, are you going to be able to smell anything but the sweet smell of accomplishment and satisfaction?