Q and A Versus Slumdog Millionaire: Comparative Essay

The name of the book is Q and A; the name of the movie is Slumdog Millionaire. It is a combination of drama and a novel. Our copy has 89 paged but the original book has 304 pages. There are 13 chapters, they are not long but they have a big and clear context. Most people know the Indian writer for his Romans Q & A. Vikas Swarup was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh in a family of lawyers. He did his school training at Boys’ High School & College, Allahabad and further advanced at Allahabad University with subjects in Psychology, History and Philosophy. They translated the book into 43 different languages and won several prizes.

Swarup wrote the book Slumdog Millionaire that led to the film. The film won many prizes including best film, best director and most promising newcomer. Vikas Swarup’s second novel was also a success and they translated the book into many different languages. Swarup has had a number of jobs including as a writer at The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph (UK), Outlook magazine (India) and Liberation Day (France). The connection between the title and the book is that it takes place in the present time of India and in India the word for someone who is pore is ‘Slumdog’, and the main character who is also seen as a ‘Slumdog’ participates in ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’ in which he wins 20 million and becomes a millionaire . Those two words combined is ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. It starts in Bombay (which later becomes Mumbai), the children later wander around to earn money, and you have many pieces at the train station. Ram his flashbacks happened in the past, but he thought of them and told them in the future. I think the writer wants to show that experience is the best way to learn. Ram had experienced many challenges when he lived in the slums of Mumbai. The fight for survival taught him many lessons in life.

You cannot learn some of these lessons through our traditional schools but through our experiences in real life. In addition, I have learned that no matter what happens you should always have hope, because I read in this book that even if things do not start the way you want it to go, you can always make it better. My favourite part is when Ram falls in love with Nita. She also loves him, but she cannot leave because her brother wants her to be a prostitute. Nita’s brother says that if Ram wants Nita to be free he has to pay him money. Therefore, he tries to get the money but that is not that easy. I love that part because he is willing to steal for her. My favourite character is Smita, she helps Ram and she is there for him when no one believes him she first doesn’t believe him either but she still helps. My second favourite is Ram he keeps on fighting to show that he is not lying. He is strong when most people would have given up.

My third favourite is Nita, she is very kind and the fact that she fell in love with a person she had to sleep with and then fights for him is such a nice love story. I would definitely save father Timothy, if he had not died than none of this would have happened to Ram because he was happy with father Timothy and then we would not have to be an orphan again. The climax of this book is when Ram starts telling his lawyer all about his life; the story really starts to develop. The book is about Ram he was imprisoned and people asked him questions about how he won the show “Who Will Win a Billion” out of nowhere. The police starts torturing him but then his lawyer Smitah walks in and she talks to Ram about the show. Ram starts telling Smitah the stories of how he could answer all those questions and at first Smitah does not believe him but in the end, she does believe him. She even gets him free. Ram could answer each question correct fully because he has learned the answer through the experiences in his live, so for each answer he has a whole story to tell Smitah. Smitah then also says that Ram once protected her from her father in one of his stories. I think it is quite a good book because it is fun to read. I do find the book a bit confusing with the flashbacks and the time change. The book is also moving because it shows how bad it can be on our world. It is sad that people younger and from our age cannot grow up with loving parents and families in some places You just live in pain. Reading the book makes you think. I feel so sorry for all the kids who live in bad houses, not knowing if they will make it to the next day.