Based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup’s 2005 novel “Q and A,” Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire” is a classic rags-to-riches story about a young boy from the slums, who wins millions in a quiz show and elevates himself in society. The British drama film was written by Simon Beaufoy, and directed by Danny Boyle. The film is a mixture of English and Hindi dialogues.

Slumdog Millionaire was set and filmed in India in the slums of Mumbai. But ask director Danny Boyle, ‘Is it an Indian film?” The incredible director would come up with the answer that the film is based on Vikas Swarup’s book Q and A, and shot entirely in India, but it is a British film, since the $15 million film was financed in London. But the film’s co-director, as well as casting director Loveleen Tandan, who is an Indian, once declared that ‘It is totally an Indian film.’ 

Interestingly, Boyle, who captured the real picture of Mumbai slums, had never been to India before signing on to direct the screenplay written by Beaufoy. But, Loveleen Tandan had been his moral compass and anchor throughout the project.

“Before I arrived in Mumbai I read Suketu Mehta’s marvelous book ‘The Maximum City’,” Boyle said. “But even then I had to find out a million things about Mumbai. And it was very important that I did not get things wrong.” Loveleen was always there with helpful suggestions and warnings about how some things aren’t looking alright.”
Slumdog was an ultimate experience for its makers. They adopted a rare approach to reach under the skin of Mumbai slums. Tandan says she likes to get as close to reality as possible, and this very intense enthusiasm drove her to the slums of East Bandra, where she found two young children who resembled the protagonists in the story.
 
“I was very keen to get real slum kids, which is why I convinced them (the producers) to do one-third of the scenes in Hindi. I made a scratch tape with real street kids. The team was surprised that Hindi actually made it brighter and more alive,” said Tandan. Two of the child actors were plucked from a desperately poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Mubai. Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, age 10, and Ruboma Ali, 9, were flown to Los Angeles for the ceremony.

Indeed, Boyle realized that they needed to adapt to the freewheeling working style of the Indian crew. Certainly, Slumdog does not feel like a foreign film. Of course, it has a significant touch of Indian music by maestro A.R. Rahman.

Everything about Slumdog is so alluring, which appeals to everyone. Most parts of the film was shot on small digital cameras by the director himself, so that he could capture the environment’s immediacy while enabling the crew to move through neighborhoods with little disruption.

“You’ve got a script you’re going to shoot, but you try and make the decisions on the day,” Boyle said. “It doesn’t always work, but when it does work, that’s the best bit, when you feel something new that you’d never thought of before.”

Slumdog Millionaire takes the audience on a journey into the heart of Indian port city Mumbai. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards, and eventually won eight, marking the second most Oscar-winning film in this decade. It also won five Critics’ Choice Awards, four Golden Globes, and seven BAFTA Awards.

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