The big winner at all the recent awards ceremonies, Slumdog Millionaire is a film, which has as many flaws as it does successes. The good news is that Danny Boyle as director is back on fine form, providing an exhilarating and life-affirming experience. The bad news is that the lead actor (Dev Patel from the interminable TV series Skins) is woefully miscast as a boy from the slums of Mumbai who makes it to the final question on Indias version of Who wants to be a millionaire?

Young muslim orphan Jamal Malik is on the verge of winning the top prize on the Indian Who wants to be a Millionaire? Problem is no one believes he has got this far without cheating so we find him relating his life story (and hence how he knows the answers) to a police chief on the eve of being asked the final question. We then see Jamal and his brother growing up in the slums, escaping the religious violence which has left him orphaned and his growing attraction to fellow runaway Latika.

The main problem with Patels performance is that it never feels real. The scenes when Jamal is portrayed by a younger Indian actor are superb as they have a genuine and warm feel to them, however when we see the older Jamal it feels very much like an outsider trying to fit into the Indian way of life. This is understandable as Patel is English (with Indian origins) but the director manages to make an honest film, so its a shame the performance doesnt match.

To be fair though it may have more to do with how excellent the younger cast members are than with any deficiencies elsewhere, just like The Kite runner earlier in the year the first half of the film demands a better finale. Boyle has done a great job in capturing modern day India however and one can easily understand the appeal the film will have to an American audience; however you cant help feeling that on reflection this will be one of those films that are of the moment and not a true classic.

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