A FEEL-GOOD MOVIE ABOUT ORPHANS eking it out in the Mumbai slums? Sure, why not? Charles Dickens managed a similar trick with his tales of street urchins bumming in the slums of Victorian England. Actually, Dickensian is not a bad word to describe Danny Boyle’s much acclaimed rags-to-riches film “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Based on the novel by Vikas Swarup, “Slumdog” is full of pint-sized grifters going up against pockmarked villains in a narrative that hinges almost entirely on coincidences. At its Dickensian heart, “Slumdog” is an urban fairy tale about a pauper who longs to be a prince (or at least as rich as one) so he can save the life of his childhood sweetheart. But this is modern India we’re talking about, not foggy London. Bring on the riotous color, the dizzying movement, M.I.A. on the soundtrack, and scenes of heartbreaking beauty and cruelty.

One such scene takes place at the very beginning of the movie as young Jamal Malik (played by wide-eyed newcomer Dev Patel) is brutally interrogated by the police, who believe he has cheated on the Hindi version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” How else could an uneducated chai-walla know enough trivia to go on an astonishing 10-million-rupee winning streak? Is the answer: A) the game show host is feeding him clues; B) he has all the Nobel laureates on speed dial; C) all the tragedies in his life just happened to imprint the correct answers on his mind? In other words, could it be his destiny?

To answer this question, the movie shifts back and forth between Jamal’s past and present, allowing us to witness the unspeakable horrors and high adventures of Jamal, his street-savvy brother Salim, and a shy girl named Lathika, who is the love of his life.

As a result of an international cast (including co-directors Doyle and Loveleen Tandan), the movie is a kaleidoscope of cultures. The first quarter of the movie, for example, takes place in Hindi before shifting smoothly into English. At least some of the credit for the film’s success should go to the casting crew, who managed to find terrific child actors who closely resemble—and even outshine—their grown-up counterparts. Likewise with the supporting players, such as Bollywood greats Irrfan Khan (as the interrogator) and Anil Kapoor (as the smarmy game-show host).

Overall “Slumdog” is an exhilarating movie that hits all the right notes. We rooted for the underdog. We thrilled to his success. We clapped to the Bollywood song-and-dance at the end. But when the applause faded and we wiped the popcorn butter and goofy smiles from our faces, we felt sadder for the experience. In the name of escapism, the filmmakers have forced a cheery facade on a grim reality. But the fairytale ending is so cynically improbable that we can’t help thinking of India’s real slumdwellers for whom there is no escape.

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