Slumdog Millionaire Fate and Free Will Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Slumdog Millionaire.

Quote #1

[On-screen text: Jamal Malik is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. How did he do it?

A. He cheated
B. He's lucky
C. He's a genius
D. It is written]

From this text, one of the first things we see on screen in the film, the relationship between fate and free will is established. Has Jamal defied the odds and clawed his way to the million-dollar question through his own choices? Or are there larger forces at work, as implied by answer D? Perhaps it's a little bit of both.

Quote #2

JAMAL: The answers. I knew the answers.

Slumdog Millionaire takes us on a journey to discover just how Jamal, however improbably, knew these answers.

Quote #3

JAMAL: She could be our third musketeer!

SALIM: We don't even know the name of the third bloody musketeer.

The image of Jamal and Salim as Athos and Porthos, two of the three musketeers, appears frequently in the early stages of the film. Latika soon joins their crew as the third musketeer, whose name they never learned—an ironic twist that will reemerge at a pivotal moment at the climax.