The Pursuit Of Happyness And Slumdog Millionaire

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is a film that features a character, Jamil Malik, who lives in Dubai and is considered an ignorant young boy. Jamil Malik had never went to school or college and would not have known any of the answers for the game show, “Who wants to be a Millionaire” but was given the prejudge of being on the show because he grew up in the slums of India. Jamil’s life experiences allowed him an

Slumdog Millionaire is a British Drama Film, set in India. India is the second largest country by area in Asia, and with over 1.2 billion people it is the second most populous country in the world, after China. The film was released in 2008 and portrays the different aspects of India as a country. Throughout the film different themes are addressed especially the issue of poverty. The word Slumdog refers to someone who lives in a slum, as does Jamal Malik the protagonist in the film.

The film then proceeds to reveal some of the science behind our happiness and how happiness is measured. The film

What drives you? What keeps your motivation flowing? The gripping story of Chris Gardner will surely spark a fire to the success you desire. “The Pursuit of Happyness” is a book that also inspired the self-titled movie. These two works have the ultimate story of triumph and self-perseverance. With both works being released in 2006, both number one seller for their respective audiences; they did carry many similarities and differences. Discussing each work, I will compare and contrast both works with the theme, settings, and characters and navigate the overall message they provide.

Success is extremely coveted in the society, however on the path to success, obstacles will stand in the way. Failure is inevitable and the response of an individual towards these obstacles and the failures in their lives determines whether or not they will have success. Failure gives allowance to learn from mistakes and motivates to do better the next time. The Pursuit of Happyness uses lighting, music and camera angles to give viewers an insight into Chris’ journey through the film demonstrating his resiliency, optimism and loving personality. Filmmaker, Gabriele Muccino, uses the protagonist, Chris’ final triumph to illustrate the significance of failure in achieving success.

Happy. Hardworking. Generous. Chris Gardner faces these emotions through achieving his goals which shows through perseverance, we can be happy. Through perseverance, Chris wants to achieve his goals so it shows we can be happy. In the movie, Pursuit of Happyness, the main character Chris Gardner achieves his goals through his job, son and home which shows through perseverance, we can be happy.

Chris is a charismatic young man, but takes extensive measures to ensure he does not become too close with anyone. By going out into the wild without so much as a letter to his parents,

He wanted to live a simple life, not worrying about food, money, sex. In life, the only thing he wanted to carry was himself. For example on pg. 142, Chris states “you come to believe in the reliability of your hands and feet and head. You learn to trust your self- control.” This shows Chris realizing that he needs only himself and by the example of his hands, feet, and head he is showing his future is up to him. The second part of the quote, explains his mentality of how he must rely on his ability. To become completely self-reliant, McCandless took drastic measures such as abandoning his yellow Datsun to make it known he doesn’t want to be found and to also exert more self-reliance by relying only on his ability instead of a vehicle. Another drastic measure he took was giving all his life-savings ($24,000) to OXFAM, and with any remaining money was burned to fully feed his need for

Chris shows his discontent for materialism as he reacts with futility and disgust when his father offers to buy him a new car. Chris exclaims that: “[This car] runs just fine!”, once again justifying his lack of care for materials. Holden similarly sees the human attachment for materialism in a comedic style when he observes his roommate’s actions as stated in this quotation: “The day after I put [my suitcase] under my bed, he took them out and put them back on the rack...he wanted people to think my bags were his” (Salinger, 108). What society fails to realize is that while materials might go away, wear out or disappear, happiness is something that will never expire. Thus in an attempt to show that materials are not advantageous to life, Chris and Holden abandon their homes and go on an adventure in search for something much greater; happiness.

The Pursuit of Happiness is a story about Chris Gardner and his son Quincy that takes place in San Francisco, and its shows all the hardships they faced while chasing the American dream. For Chris Gardner the

However, this is, in fact, a dilemma, as the Indian people found the title derogatory to people living in slums. Boyle along with the filmmakers of Slumdog Millionaire have chosen an insulting title while making a cultural appropriation as the Indian people felt that such a title was violating their human rights. In fact, several lawsuits had been filed against director Danny Boyle and the producer Christian Colson demanding the title of the film to be changed as it is being stated in TheGuardian (2009). Haven seen the points presented, one might find it contradictory why a director’s ethnicity might even matter when he had been considered worthy to be the best director, but it is at this point that the cultural differences of the directors

The majority of ideas for Slumdog Millionaire came from Vikas Swarup’s novel, Q & A. This told a story about a boy named Ram Mohammad Thomas who was accused for cheating on “Who Will Win a Billion” for answering all twelve answers correctly. Just like Q & A, Slumdog Millionaire is not told in chronological order; both give brief glimpses into the past of the main character. The film alternates between Jamal’s early childhood, adolescence, and life as a young adult. Director Danny Boyle captures the audience with the compelling romance, drama, and crime portrayed in the movie. Slumdog Millionaire is also a prime example of an independent film.

In 2009, Slumdog Millionaire, the potential Oscar winner, was finally going to release in the country where it filmed, India. My family hurriedly booked the tickets in fear of missing the movie due to the high publicity it had gathered in the days before its release. I saw the movie and appreciated it, but I never quite understood the concept of the film. A man answering questions about subjects from around the world that he never realized he knew? That did not sound realistic nor impressive to me.

Danny Boyle’s film Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of Jamal, a boy from the slums of

Tittle of the film is "Slumdog Millionaire". The director of this heart-breaking film is Danny Boyle. The film was released in 2008 and it lasts for about 2 hours. This movie is based on the book "Q and A" by Vikas Swarup. (Wikipedia) The film itself portrays a powerful sense of prejudice. It shows the vast divide between people with money and power, as opposed to those who are poor and have nothing. This movie challenges the stereotype that poor people cannot be smart through retelling the life of an Indian boy.