Q and A

Ram Mohammed Thomas, a poor, 18-year old waiter from the wrong side of the tracks, becomes the biggest quiz-show winner in history, scooping a billion rupee prize in an Indian television programme which goes one better than 'Who Wants to be Millionaire'. Unfortunately, the producers don't have the money to pay him, so instead, charge him with fraud. Before Slumdog Millionaire, there was Q&A, the book by Vikas Swarup.

Flipping between the questions and the way our protagonist Ram (not Jamal- in the book, his name holds a particular relevance to the character) comes to learn the answers, the book is full of pathos and energy for the impossibly unbelievable situation Ram finds himself in. The film uses the same effect but in the book these occurrences become events that flesh out Ram and the coterie of characters around him rather than the glossed-over experiences and their incidental nature give the story a more believable take on the 'fable.'