*invite credits: TV5 and Viva International; *photo credits: jp manahan

Jamal Malik is a penniless, eighteen year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He was arrested due to the allegation of cheating on the premise of how could an uneducated street kid possibly have such knowledge. The Police Inspector probes Jamal overnight and learns of his incredible past, tales of the slums where he and his brother Salim survived, encounters with local gangs to his heartbreak over Latika, the love he lost. Surprisingly, chapters of Jamal's life reveals where he learned the answers to the gameshow.

I highly recommend this flick not just for its uplifting message of hope but moreso that Filipinos may appreciate life here. The first thirty minutes detailed life in India if you are a poverty-stricken kid..family even. Their travails are such a shock especially when its pertaining to basic needs. There are depictions of a more comfortable life in India, still relatively not what some people have here, but corrupt as well. We tend to take for granted our little priveleges or blessings in life like clean water, clean loos, tryke/pedicabs/fx..heck we even have "tingi" or sachet shampoos, deodorants, etc...just watch it and you'll truly appreciate life here in the Philippines!

Cheers! =]