Slumdog Millionaire characters

Appears from the start

A young waiter from Mumbai who has unexpectedly answered every question correctly on a televised quiz show. Orphaned and poor, he has gathered knowledge through a succession of dangerous jobs and chance encounters rather than formal schooling. The police assume someone of his background must have cheated, so he explains how his life supplied each answer.

Appears from the start

A lawyer who intervenes after Ram is detained and abused by the police. She listens to his account of the quiz and asks him to connect each answer to an episode from his past.

Appears from the start

Ram's closest friend, an ardent admirer of Hindi films who dreams of becoming an actor. He and Ram repeatedly treat one another as brothers while surviving poverty, institutional care, and life on Mumbai's streets.

Appears from the start

A celebrated film star idolized by Salim. Ram's proximity to the actor's private world gives him knowledge that contrasts sharply with the heroic image presented to fans.

First appears in chapter 2

The priest who takes the abandoned infant Ram into a Delhi church and gives him a name designed to cross India's major religious traditions. He provides Ram with a home and an early education in English.

First appears in chapter 4

A boy with a disability whom Ram meets while under the control of an exploitative man. His vulnerability brings the danger facing the children into focus.

First appears in chapter 5

An Australian diplomat in Delhi who employs Ram as a household servant. His work and private conversations expose Ram to unfamiliar accents, international affairs, and secrets hidden beneath a respectable public position.

First appears in chapter 6

A girl living near Ram whose home is dominated by an abusive father. Ram recognizes her fear and tries to protect her when the violence escalates.

First appears in chapter 7

An armed robber who terrorizes passengers on a train. His attack forces Ram into a direct confrontation with lethal violence.

First appears in chapter 10

An aging former film star who hires Ram as a servant. She lives amid reminders of her glamorous screen career while struggling with loneliness and the loss of public attention.

First appears in chapter 11

A young woman Ram meets in Agra and comes to love. Controlled by people who profit from her, she becomes the reason he urgently needs money and enters the quiz show.

Appears from the start

The polished host of the quiz show on which Ram wins the top prize. He controls the pace and atmosphere of the broadcast and appears to be Ram's guide through its escalating questions.