Slumdog Millionaire Society and Class Quotes

Jamal likely does not know the seemingly obvious answer to this question because he never completed a formal education. However, Jamal's response—in which he notes the going rate for pani puri—reveals that like his fellow slum dwellers he isn't stupid, nor a genius, but rather has acquired a completely different set of skills and knowledge that helps him navigate life in the slums.

Following the end of British colonial rule in 1947, the British Indian Empire was partitioned into three separate chunks: Pakistan in the west, East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) in the east, with present day India in the center. This division, prompting likely the largest mass migration in history, was based primarily on religion, with the majority of Muslims winding up in East and West Pakistan, and the majority of Sikhs and Hindus landing in India. (Source)

However there has long been tension throughout the history of modern India between the majority Hindu population and remaining 170 million-plus Muslims, coming to a boiling point in the 1992-3 Bombay riots depicted in this film.

From this young age, Jamal and Latika are dreaming of the rags to riches story that their life will eventually become; however, upward mobility in traditional Indian society is just that—a dream—for those on the bottom rung.