Q&A aka Slumdog Millionaire
I finished reading Q&A today which is the book from which the Best Picture of 2009, Slumdog Millionaire, was adapted. The plan was to finish the book before I saw the movie but I wasn’t sure how much longer the movie would be in theaters, and I’d heard that it was a must see in the theater, so I saw the movie when I was only halfway through the book.
The differences between the book and the movie were pretty substantial. I realized, after finishing the book today, that the movie just took the basic idea of the book and borrowed bits and pieces of the stories told in Q&A to tell a pretty different story. The book (and movie, for that mater) is a bout an orphan boy who has an opportunity to be on a Quiz show in India called Who Wants to Win a Billion (aka W3B). The show is the India version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire complete with lifelines, dramatic music and manufactured suspense. The boy, Ram Muhammad Thomas (Jamaal in the movie) is arrested on suspicion of cheating when he gets all the way to the final question of the game. In the book, he is taken to a holding cell where he is tortured by police officers who are trying to get him to admit how he is cheating when all of the sudden, in walks a female lawyer who insists that Ram is her client and that he has rights. She tells Ram that the only way she can defend him is if he tells her the truth about cheating and she is in disbelief when he holds fast to his story of knowing the answers. Each remaining chapter of the book tells a story from Ram’s past and always finishes with a question from the Quiz Show that he is only able to ask because of his experiences. Because the questions are random, the book tells stories of his life out of chronological order yet it is still easy to follow along the whole story of his 18 years.
The movie follows the same premises but most of the stories are different, the love interest plays a much larger role (surprise, surprise) and setting of his interrogation is quite different. That being said, it’s not that the movie was not as good as the book (when is it ever really better anyway) but it was just different. The author, Vikas Swarup, who is an Indian diplomat, gives the rest of the world a peek into the reality of living in the worlds most populated and one of the most poverty stricken countries in the world.
Though India was one of the last places on earth I ever wanted to visit, I was fortunate enough to go in 2006 to see my mom and step dad who were living there while contracting with Coke. Some of the things I was exposed to shocked me and saddened me. For example, one of the things that was hardest to get used to was anytime you were stopped at a traffic light, children and mothers would come to the window of your car and start tapping on the window, bringing their hands to their mouth asking for food (but really asking for money). They would often times be deformed or carry deformed babies and looked as though they were hollow and hopeless. Mom told me that they didn’t give money to these beggars because they were sent out on the street by gangs who had purposely deformed them in order to cause people to have greater compassion and in turn give them more money. But the more money they received, the more these gangs made and the more children and women were stolen and forced into being panhandlers. This was presented in both the book and the movie and reminded me of the feeling I got when I first learned about this horrid practice. I’m glad that this book was turned into a movie and that the movie won Best Picture and that people were going in droves to see it. I only hope that Vikas’ novel will bring greater awareness to the poverty, corruption and prejudice that exists in India.
I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, whether you have seen the movie or not. If you have already seen the movie, don’t worry, it doesn’t ruin the book for you. You will read more stories of Ram/Jamaal’s life and learn more about how things are in India. If you’ve read it or seen the movie and want to discuss it, let me know!
LOVED the movie.
Now I have to go read the book. I am always a fan of the book over the movie and you have only soldified that point for me here.
I am so saddened to hear that those horrible scenes in the movie where the children were specifically blinded and the like are TRUE. I can’t comprehend of such utter and total brutality. Makes me feel sick to my stomach.
Am really glad i found your site.
Am a media student and this year i have to write an essay on adaptation. I enjoyed the film Slumdog millionaire in the context i felt like parts of it were good representations of India. I have visited India myself and felt completely shocked and uncomfortable at the sights of children begging, and remember clearly them approaching the windows of my taxi.
Am am currently reading the book now (just over half way) and see several differences between the book and film. Other that what you have writen, do you have other advice on the differencs/simulaties between the book/film i’d love to know ! Thanks
I enjoyed checking out your blog today and I will be back to check it more in the future so please keep up your good quality work. I love the colors that you chose, you are quite talented!