The Vista chats with Danny Boyle

Kaitlyn Kormondy / The USD Vista

Based on the novel “Q&A,” Danny Boyle’s latest film, “Slumdog Millionaire” tells the story of Jamal Malik, a poor young man from India who is about to win 20 million rupees on the hit game show, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”

Accused of cheating and caught up in affairs as big as India itself, Jamal must validate his story, a story full of terror and loss; a story which, interestingly enough, may enable him to answer more than just the million dollar question. The Vista, alongside other student journalists, sat down with the director of “Slumdog Millionaire,” Danny Boyle, at a roundtable interview to discuss his latest film.

Q: What was the filming process like in India?
Danny Boyle: India is enormous. There are currently a billion people living there, and that is an environment you can’t control or organize. But, that was the beauty of it. We didn’t attempt to control it. It’s changing all the time. There are no buildings, only people; just mass amounts of people. We wrote the script in English but, after casting, we realized that the 7-year-olds didn’t speak English, so we had to add subtitles and such, and now the film is one-third in Hindi. I thought I was going to lose my job over that, but interestingly enough, the audience doesn’t come out of the theater thinking about the subtitles, it comes out thinking about those kids. I think the film is even more exciting with the subtitles.

Q: The film has a subjective vision to it. Was this intentional?
DB: We tried to make this film as subjectively as possible and as real as possible, and I believe we accomplished that. We didn’t try to control it. We just let it happen. India constantly feels judgment from the West for being such a poverty-stricken country. But really, the people don’t feel poor. They are community organized. We wanted this story to come from the point of view of the characters, with no Western baggage attached.

Q: The music in the film is brilliant. Where did the inspiration for it come from?
DB: The music coordinator is extremely famous in India. He is literally mobbed in the streets, he can’t leave his car. Imagine taking JT, Kanye West and Diddy and rolling them all into one guy. That’s how famous this guy is. There are even people in London who stop and point at him when they see him. Anyways, M.I.A., who interestingly enough was born in Sri Lanka, grew up worshipping this guy, and so when we talked to her about putting her music in the film, she was ecstatic. I always knew “Paper Planes” was going to be in the film; I think it fits brilliantly. This is an amazing time for music in India. They have influences from America and Europe, but their music isn’t hidden. They are proud of it. I wanted to put songs in that were representative of that.

Q: The film has a kind of old mythological feel. Was that intended?
DB: The film is very much a representation of a typical Bollywood storyline and is based on Bollywood storytelling. There is always the good/bad brother dynamic. The bad brother is obsessed with power and wealth, while the good brother strives for love. It is India’s classic storytelling.

Q: How did you come up with the frame narrative for the film?
DB: The frame narrative was very much scripted. We liked the idea of the ability to weave the plot backward and forward. The audience picks up on information that they don’t need until much later in the film, and it has them saying, “Oh! Now I know why I picked that up.” It makes the audience feel intelligent. The story is built on memories, but it wasn’t written or done in flashbacks. This allows you to keep going backward and forward. It is the same in the novel. There is no crazy mist that comes in and sweeps you up into a flashback. I wanted to show that in the film. You never know in the novel because things can be looked at backwards and forwards. It really is brilliant.

Q: What do you hope your audience takes from the film?
DB: America is changing; this is apparent through your new president and such. But I think the world is changing right along with it. This film is from the other side of the world. It causes the audience to look at the world differently and openly. People are also beginning to look at America differently. They are beginning to earn back trust. The rest of the world is growing. Last century was dominated by America, and Britain dominated the century before, but that is changing. I think Eurasia will dominate the next century, and the world has to be ready for that.

“Slumdog Millionaire” is currently in theaters.