Ram Mohammad Thomas
Ram’s mother abandoned him when he was born, so he spent the first few years of his life in an orphanage without being given a name. Father Timothy, a Catholic priest, who receives him from a man who initially wanted to adopt him, names him Joseph Michael Thomas. However, his name is soon changed to Ram Mohammad Thomas so that none of the religious mobs are angered. The priest teaches him English, which allows Ram to work for foreigners and wealthy people. Before Ram finally participates in the game show winning a billion rupees at the age of eighteen, he has experienced the life of the rich as well as the life of the extreme poor, at one point even living in Asia’s biggest slum. Through all the ups and downs (mostly downs) he has developed a strong sense of what is right and wrong; and even when he lives in poverty, he demonstrates kindness by helping people who are worse off than him.
Salim
Salim is Ram’s best friend. Ram describes him as a boy with curly black hair and a cherubic face. Salim is obsessed with the famous actor Armaan Ali until he is groped by Armaan wearing a disguise. Nevertheless, he never loses his dream of becoming a famous actor himself; this desire to become famous gets even stronger when a fortune teller reveals his future as a movie star. When Ram leaves Mumbai, Salim stays behind and saves film producer Abbas Rizvi from a contract killer. Rizvi then pays for his acting classes until he turns eighteen. Having played only minor roles in various films, Salim eventually lands the role of a hero in a comedy film, which is secretly sponsored by Ram after he won the billion rupees.
Smita Shah
Smita is the lawyer who saves Ram from the torture at the beginning of the novel, and by fighting Ram’s legal battles she ensures that he receives the one billion rupees from the game show producers. At first, she is skeptical about Ram’s achievement, but when she hears his story of saving a young girl and her mother from an abusive father, she believes him because the young girl in Ram’s story is herself. However, she does not reveal this to Ram until the very end.
Father Timothy
Father Timothy is a Catholic priest from York who raises Ram like his own son. He deeply cares for his congregation; for example, he comforts the people who come into the church, attends to the sick, lends money to the needy, and even shares meals with lepers. The day after he finds out that another priest, Father John, has sexually abused a young man called Ian, he is shot and killed by Father John, who shot himself right after. Ian later reveals that Father Timothy was his father, so Ram learns that even the priest was not perfect.
Nita
Nita is a prostitute who Ram meets after a night with her is sponsored by a group of rich boys who he met at the Taj Mahal. Ram falls in love with her and learns that she has to work in the whorehouse to provide for her family. Her pimp, who is also her brother, demands 400,000 rupees if Ram wants to set her free. When Ram wins the billion rupees, he marries Nita.
