Factor affecting production of Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire was written by Vikas Swarup and first noticed when Film4 book scout Kate Sinclair called up the head of film and drama at Channel 4, Tessa Ross. Ross then read the book and took it further by pitching it to a screenwriter Simon Beaufoy who came on board with the “prize project” very quickly. Although it was evident that the book would be extremely difficult to convert into a screenplay as Beaufoy explained that “the biggest problem in converting the book into a screenplay was that it was effectively a series of stories – twelve short stories. Some of which weren’t even linked in anyway” this was the first hurdle that needed to be overcome as Beaufoy needed to find the narrative within the story as a whole and use this narrative to take the audience from A to B. In addition to this Beaufoy had to also respect the story Swarup had wrote but change it in ways that fit the narrative within a film. Once the first draft of the screenplay was written producer Christian Colson joined in and soon director Danny Boyle was a part of the making of Slumdog Millionaire.

Due to the film only having a budget of $15 million it was difficult for the production values to be very high however because the film is an Indy film this allowed for much more creative freedom for Boyle. In addition to this Film4 value artistic integrity and the themes underlined in the films shown on Film4 are much more relatable, gritty and realistic. This also lead to problems as because it was set in India and is away from the mainstream audience meaning it was away from the mass audience and meant that it would generate less revenue due to the niche audience targeted.

A huge problem while filming Slumdog Millionaire was the technology and equipment used as Boyle originally wanted to use traditional 35mm film cameras but realised it made the film look far too static so they moved to using digital cameras which enabled them to become involved in the scene rather than just watching. In addition to this Boyle decided that it would be best to shoot on location in India to give a more authentic feel to the film. This meant that Boyle had a lack of control as “Mumbai is like the sea, always the same but constantly changing” meaning that no matter what the setting was always different but it was still the same setting. There was also the problem of fans crowding to watch the filming of their favourite stars which meant thousands on the streets looking at the camera whilst trying to film, however this also added to the realism and meant that you are part of this world you are thrown into the madness of India.

During shooting it was evident that Boyle was extremely passionate about the film as he would work days and night to make sure the film was perfect. In addition to this while shooting he would become involved with the actors and even demonstrate exactly how he wanted it showing how involved and immersed he became in the film. This was also shown through his search all through Bombe to find the perfect cast, the hardest part of this was trying to find three main characters with three different versions and ages of themselves but still convey to an audience that they are the same person just grown up. Another problem that arose was while trying to find the main character Jamal as most Indian actors are bulked up and it was essential to find a boy who was vulnerable and on the cusp of being a man which was when they found Dev Patel, the only English cast member in the film, they also had to find a girl who you would want to travel the world for. However Boyle was not alone when doing this he had the help of Loveleen Tanden who was the casting director (credited as co-director) as she worked with the Indian speaking cast members who were originally from slums.

To conclude there were many challenges faced by the cast and crew of Slumdog Millionaire but it was all worth it as it all worked out and the niche Indy film that wasn’t expected to do very well grossed an astounding $141.3 million.