Slumdog Millionaire
Infuses a stark novel with heartfelt emotions
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$120 – 135MM V $141MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
5.58 – 6.20%
Script Score
0.20
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British movie directed by Danny Boyle and written by Simon Beaufoy. The script is a loose adaptation of Vikas Swarup’s novel Q & A.
While the novel delves into the life experiences of a game show contestant that ultimately led to his victory, the movie takes a different approach. It uses these experiences to highlight the struggles faced by three slum children – one held captive by powerful men, another determined to rescue her, and the third who betrays both of them to further his career.
1. The invisible plot structure of Slumdog Millionaire
1A. The script of Slumdog Millionaire borrows 90% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Jamal’s quest is driven by the desire to protect & nurture. The quest borrows events from the tale of Demeter in Greek mythology. Both Demeter and Jamal set out to find the abductor & recover their loved ones.
Latika’s quest is driven by the desire to be in a peaceful environment. The quest borrows events from the tale of Sita in Hindu mythology. Both Sita and Latika yearn for tranquillity but their suffering keeps mounting.
Salim’s quest is driven by selfishness. The quest borrows events from the tale of Valmiki in Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & Salim are self-centred but eventually have a change of heart.
Prem’s underdeveloped quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders. The quest borrows events from the tale of Duryodhan in Hindu mythology. Duryodhan’s retaliation, stemming from his belief that the throne was unjustly taken from him, parallels Prem’s pursuit of revenge, driven by his conviction that the slum boy deceived him.
Maman’s has a shallow quest borrows a few events from the tale of Circe from Greek mythology. Both Circe and Maman create a façade of godliness to control gullible victims.
Inspector has no quest.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
#3,992
Tales interweaved
Valmiki, Demeter & Sita
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. The potential of Slumdog Millionaire's plot structure: $120–135MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Slumdog Millionaire
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Slumdog Millionaire uses 3 universal quests of Accumulation, Family & Tranquillity.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Jamal mirrors the universal quest of Family. Latika mirrors the quest of Tranquillity whereas Salim mirrors Accumulation.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Jamal borrows 39% events from the quest of Family. Salim borrows 24% from Accumulation. Latika borrows 14% from Tranquillity.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Slumdog Millionaire’s quest interweaving score of 0.50 is at par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Jamal & Latika:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Slumdog Millionaire
The script borrows from three universal quests and has created a robust quest for Jamal. However, the other character quests could have been developed further.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.20
Audience appeal
5.58% – 6.20%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. The ideal plot structure of Slumdog Millionaire
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
3A.Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Jamal mirrors the universal quest for Family
Jamal’s desire for Family stems from the need to nurture and protect. The tale of Demeter from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Family.
Quest 2: Salim mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
Salim’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect and own. The tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology has a robust expression in Dicken’s character of Scrooge which is the universal quest for Accumulation.
Quest 3: Latika mirrors the universal quest for Tranquillity
Latika’s desire for Tranquillity stems from the need to be in a secure environment. The tale of Sita from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Tranquillity.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The plot structure has just one well-developed quest. It doesn’t leverage two other character quests to their maximum potential.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The hidden potential of Slumdog Millionaire is unlocked by Mythosis Plot structure # 3,992 that interweaves the tales of Demeter, Sita and Valmiki.
Contact us for Mythosis plot structure # 3,992
Tags: Demeter, Family, Sita, Tranquillity, Valmiki, Accumulation, Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy, Celador Films, Film4, Pathé Distribution, 2009