Slumdog Millionaire: A Tale of Love, Loss, and Triumph in the Mumbai Slums

Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Jamal Malik, an 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Each chapter of Jamal's increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show's seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out.

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Jamal Malik, a young man is on the popular game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire. And if that weren't exciting enough, he's one teensy question away from winning the grand prize of 20 million rupees. But after he's taken into custody by the police under the accusation of cheating, Jamal recounts his life story, explaining how he came to know the answer to each question he faced. Jamal and his older brother Salim were orphaned at an early age, and had to scrape by however they could to survive in the slums. Along the way they meet Latika, a young girl who joins their trio—the third musketeer to Jamal and Salim. Soon they're captured by the gangster Maman, who forces them to beg and sing for money. Jamal and Salim are eventually able to escape, but Latika is left behind. After spending a few years on the road with Salim, Jamal decides to try to find Latika. With his brother's help he's successful, and the three escape together when Salim kills Maman. Jamal working as an assistant in a telemarketing office. He decides once more to attempt to find Latika, and starts by successfully contacting his mean brother Salim. After meeting with his brother for the first time in years, he's able to deduce that slumlord Javed Khan, Salim's employer, is holding Latika. Jamal's able to follow Salim to Javed's compound and finds Latika inside while the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire plays on TV. Jamal tells Latika that he'll wait for her every day at the train station. Fearing for Jamal's safety she asks him to leave. Later, much to Jamal's surprise, Latika is there waiting for him at the train station. However Salim arrives with some of Javed's goons to prevent her from escaping with Jamal. For the final question, Jamal is asked to name the third musketeer. Jamal reveals that he does not know the answer. Using his final 'phone-a-friend' lifeline, he calls the only number he knows: his brother's. However he's shocked to discover that it's not Salim on the other line, but Latika. Having seen Jamal on TV, she managed to escape from Javed's safe house with Salim's help. Like Jamal, Latika doesn't know the answer, but she says that she's safe. A confident Jamal is able to guess the correct answer winning the grand prize. Meanwhile Salim, back in the safe house, sacrifices himself in order to stop Javed from coming after Latika and Jamal. After his victory, Jamal goes to the train station to wait for Latika.