well, i have watched this night, in the Netherlands from 2.30 AM on, and I have to say that some of the awards did surprise me. My opinion is that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is much better than Slumdog Millionaire. But, I don´t decide, right..
The rest of the winners is fine. Kate Winslet finally and Sean Penn too!

Hollywood needs a market to expand to – India is perfect and the awards – well most them remain in the Western world.

slumdog was without doubt the best movie of the year. the ohter Hollywood hype stuff didn't come close.

great to see real stories about real people and not contrived B.S.

You are absolutely right. This "SM" has no comparison with Gone with Wind like movies. However, it as well depicts that movie standards have gone down since golden days. I think jury has decided to nominate on the basis of crowd in the movies. As much crowd, as much nominations. It is just a poor effort to get Lollywood into Hollywood. Sorry to Jury and SM team, but it is fact.

Typical. Hollywood sells out to Bollywood, trying to gain interest and market share....Penelope Cruz as best supporting actress in ANY movie? What happened to standards, I bet in ten years people will look back and see this as the year of the International market share sellout. I watched Slumdog Millionaire last night and must be that I missed alot, Oscar caliber it was not.

This award means a lot to Indian Cinema & Indians as well. It also shows that without having a star-cast, the films can reach to their zenith. Hope this award brings Hollywood & Bollywood closer enough.

Oscars have breaken the boundaries between Western and Eastern Cinemas . They have showen a point that , its never required to have big budgeted films , that can go on and win the Oscars . Well, in terms of winning , the best has won...

I was hoping Angelina would win something. she was amazing in Changeling, it was a brilliant film and definately deserved to be recognised. I think Angelina is a very talented actress and it's about time she got an oscar.

Its great that slumdog can beat the big hollywood productions to the best picture award. It should show America that the world (and themselves) don't necessarily want million dollar CGI and stars.

The point?

Nothing beats a good story

Well, its a typical Bollywood movie. If it can get get the oscar guess other movies from decades past should have won oscars too:)

Slumdog's win signal's Hollywood's official entry into India...what an ironic contrast to the simplistic message of the movie that life isn't really all about money ! This will be a real shame as Bollywood movies will undoubtedly lose their unique format and style.

Slumdog was essentially Bollywood but with a Hollywood polish. The formula seems to have been on target. For many Asians, the story line itself is not remarkable given the fact that they are exposed to even more mind boggling Bollywood schemes.....but for Hollywood, the reality of the third world played out by Asian actors written and directed in a language Hollywood could understand may have convinced them that beneath the likes of Shahrukh, Amitabh and Rai, there is a real world. A world largely ignored and hidden from reality. Slumdog is just that. The real world that popped onto Hollywood screens.

"Slumdog Millionar" is a deserved winner. The film is captivating from so many different angles. The images, sound, suspense and momentum is simply brilliant as is the unprecedented storyline.

The fact that the Acadamy recognised such a production goes to show a lot... and winning against those very qualitative competing titles truely reflects the brilliance of this film.

The Academy just wanted to show how multi cultural and diverse they are. Its a publicity stunt to attract more people to watch the Oscars. Thats why slumdog won. Its a hideous and outrageous choice for best picture. Benji B out classed Slumdog in every department. its a total disappointment.

Slumdog millionaire deserved to win, a majority of ppl think so since this is a very very close and harsh portrayal of slum life in mumbai, people who have seen the good /rich side of business class in mumbai have also come across this paradox to life in the same city.
glad that the world got to see this side of the image and it may be a step toward people to do something for such kids the worldover, may be this jolt was needed to inspire

An eye opener film in this fast world that there are human spirits striving on the garbages of elite class...
It reminds us that a beautiful smile may be hiding a painful belly inside...
Never mind.. It is the victory of world cinema....
Lets celebrate...... JAI HO !!!!!!!!!....

I watched the Slum Dog Millionaire. I have to say the movie was so riveting – depiction of today's society problems ( communism, greed, ) with such fine nuances touched me without being provoking. The consistency of the characters through out the movie and the screen play is unparalled.
Life is your best teacher and never leave hope. The message couldnot have been better picturised.
I am not sure if only an unsual story and glamorous stars justify winning oscars.

Typical Bollywood or Typical Bollywood – to me its all about typical mindset of people, where they fail to realize what they find typical is fact of life in some other part of the world. To be more honest I feel the movies that really excel overall are the movies under the movies of foreign language, I don't understand why there should ever exist such Category if Oscars is for recognition of worldwide movies – on the other hand I understand something about sponsors and all the money involved in Oscars, so I can be sure that category will always be there so that there is enough promotion of movies coming out of Hollywood.

I saw Slumdog millionnaire and enjoyed the movie very much, but I do not believe it deserves the best film Oscar.

In my opinion, The Reader is a much more complex and profound movie, which should have received the Oscar for best movies this year. At least Kate Winslett got the much deserved prize for best actress for her marvelous impersonation of Hannah Schmidt in that movie.

I suppose profound movies seldom win prizes for best movies. If they did, how many would have gone to Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini and Kurosawa over the years? The prize goes to romantic stories that attract the masses (most of them being produced of course by Hollywood). Slumdog Millionnaire has such a story, but the most interesting part of the movie was its depiction of how children grow up in Mumbai's slums. I hope at least that it is for this that it got the prize.

Jean-Louis Maserati

the success of the film tells us that everybody loves the underdog esp the hollywood the film gives us a message of choosing love over money in these troubled times

I am from India and I feel The Curious Case of Benjamin Button should have won instead of Slumdog Millionaire. Other than bringing international conscoiusness, I wonder how much will the latter help in uplifting the plight of poverty-striken Indians.

Stage is set for A.R. Rahman to reach out to the world audience with his melodious tunes with or without collaboration of western artists. I am a fan of AR Rahman, from across the border of his native country, since his very first movie Roja (year 1992). He already has several scores deserving as good a prize as Oscar.

I am very disappointed with the awards going to "Slumdog." It was a very enjoyable movie, but "best picture" quality?? Far from it. The acting was not top notch, and the movie in general didn't seem nearly as 'professional' as "The Curious Case."

And am I the only person who thinks 2008 was the worst year for movies?

SM is a very riveting movie, strong and unique. But personally i don't think the hype is worth. I hear a lot of criticism from my Indian friends about this movie for showing India in a bad light. However, I disagree with them. This movie was not about India, but about the specific characters. Poverty and slum is a reality in the characters lives and its nicely portrayed in a work of fiction.

I don't agree with writer on comparing movies of different genres and generations based on the count of oscars they won.... too narrow a thought.

SlumDog Millionaire lacked any depth or substance. It was a shameless rip off of a myriad of Bollywood movies, ranging from typical 'masala' flicks to the the more serious and brilliant Mumbai underworld movies such as 'Satya '( which btw is a movie which SHOULD have received an oscar).

Oh! People are finding it a little hard to digest SMs spree at the academy awards.
The movie was out of the box. The way of story telling was creative enough to set it up for the biggies.
For the other awards ..... screenplay was undoubtedly gr8....Music: A.R. Rehman is a very very talented person. He has given music scores far better than this. But this was his day. Slumdog music was good and very deserving.

If hollywood was looking to spread legs in the east ... it could have done with Lagaan instead of going for No Man's Land (bosnia).

So have a nice appetizer & respect the fact that awards were fairly genuine.

I would like to say the reason Slum dog won so many oscars is because the film industry isnt making the right pictures for this present climate,
I love a good film but sometimes politics overshadow whats going on and if you.ve ever lived in Oldham in LANCS UK you.d probably get a better impression of the reality and what happens in Manchester.
Imperialist has gone
The Textile industry is much the same though.
Look forward to seeing this one film this year.

Im not judging whether SM is deserving or not, but one should watch the movie atleast once. I bet it would touch the heart. The oscar could have very easily gone to Benjamin, as its also very good. But for common people like us, we just have two very good movies to watch, doesnt matter who won the oscar.

I saw Benjamin Button back in the mid-90's, except it was called something like "Forrest Gump". Can't remember which one of those two guys said that "life is like a box of chocolates" line. Either one of them would've been fine as the plots were pretty interchangeable. There is nothing Bollywood about Slumdog Millionaire except for the fact that there is an Indian cast in it. I'm pretty sure (about 100%) that you need numerous song and dance numbers to be considered Bollywood. Having brown people in it is a start, but there's more to do. The dance number during the credits was Bollywood-like, but that wasn't even part of the movie's plot. I wonder, if a Chinese casted movie were to get nominated, would it be considered a kung-fu flick? Thank goodness for stupid people. It keeps me employed.

can someone please explain why Slumdog was not running in the best foreign picture category? Not that I have anything against it winning, am just curious.

Either by design or by coincidence 2008's best and worst movie awards went to Indian theme pictures. Oscar for Slumdog and Razzie award for 'Love Guru'. Either way India is in the hollywood's lime light. :-)

ahh everyones hating on slumdog millionaire lol..they cant watch asians take an award as prestige as oscar. slumdog was just like city of god but based in india. its real, its touching it deserves it..not benjamin button which is another fairy tale gone successful cause of its star cast mr. brad pitt.

As an Indian, I don't get the hype. We've made MUCH better movies ourselves, with far better story lines, direction and acting and they NEVER got any recognition. This movie seemed very contrived: rags to riches theme-which was done to death in bollywood during the 70s, undying love theme (think devdas??), Mumbai Underworld( think company, satya) and ofcourse the oldest bollywood theme of innocent bro VS evil bro(think Deewar). The only thing different about this movie is that although its ABOUT india, it's made by non indians. and PULEASE, AR Rahman has done FAR better work. giving him an oscar on this movie is more of an insult than appreciation!!!!!!

While I can’t disagree that SlumDog Millionaire is a wonderful Picture both technically and from a story line perspective, I can’t understand how it won Oscars for certain categories that clearly, in my perspective, the film did not rise up to the standards of its competitors.

One can’t help it but to wonder why The Dark Knight, that was a far more challenging film in a Cinematographer’s perspective, was “slummed down” by the jury. In what way does SlumDog Millionaire achieve something so overwhelming marvelous that it can put to the side the breathtaking work that was done on Christopher Nolan’s piece?

Quality never appreciates or depriciates,only it's interpretation changes from and during the journey of time .

India has had quality in every department of film making forever. Infact the best film schools in the USA have a complete semester dedicated to studying Satyaji Ray's film ( Oscar Winner of the Honoury Life Time Achievement award 1992)

A storyline created by Satyajit Ray was the inspiration to create Steven Spielberg's classic sci-fi thriller ET

Many seems to suggest the West Meets East Syndrome as the reason for Slumdog Millionaire's success, well that cannot be entirely the fact.

In these troubled times movies such as Slumdog Millionaire only truelly inspire the inner strength and resilience to be alive and never let you give up. Hope and self belief and powerful emotions depicted by the film,which has truelly touched the entire globe .

Bollywood will be there without even any Hollywood approval. The West has to sit up notice the power of the word INDIA !

Slumdog Millionaire has proven many things in a single film

1)Hard hope and focused dream cant fail you most of the times .
2)Love is the most powerful thing or emotion other than the God !
3) Stars always dont make the success of a film
4) Storyline ,content is the absolute king at all times for eternity
5) Smart collaboration always has it's rewards
6) ethics matter a lot in life
7) Destiny is the corner stone for everyone's life
8) Every has the right to dream ,also needs to be awake to reach it
9) Family and team work can always be a strength,never a weakness
10 The movie has brought the world together ,cutting through all divides

Look forward to many global alliances for world to work as one

Jai Ho !

Antobee
Mumbai ,India

One must really see this "Slumdog Millionaire" and compare it with other films with a fair mind. It was superb performance in all big categories. It is really the best picture in term of directing, scenes, very creative plot, location and very entertaining. This film is not the underdog. I would be totally disappointed if it didn't win the best picture and best director. 2 thumbs up.

I read somewhere down in the list about slumdog that
"great to see real stories about real people and not contrived B.S."
Well just to clarify that slumdog is the biggest B.S. nothing is fact in the movie. Infact a few questions don't even have a correct answer in the choices.

@Bibhash
I am from India and I feel The Curious Case of Benjamin Button should have won instead of Slumdog Millionaire. Other than bringing international conscoiusness, I wonder how much will the latter help in uplifting the plight of poverty-striken Indians.

I entirely agree with you view. I'm afraid that in a couple of weeks no one will even give a thought to those living in the slums (no matter where that slum is in the world!). What will be the fate of those kids after seeing the bright lights of hollywood and then being taken back to their slum? Maybe it will bring them dreams on what they want to do in the future, the doubt is that the future won't give them the chance to realize those dreams.
who knows?

Since some time I have been looking for non american films, which are worth watching. There are some. Of course they haven't got these strong marketing.

It is refreshing to know, that a non big budget film has won. Basically the american movie makers celebrating only themselves.

And of course, movie making is all buiseness. Money, money, money...

Despite, WALL-E was a particular good movie. I appreaciate the oskar for that film.

Had SM produced and directed by an Indian it wouldn't have won the Oscar. For that matter Lagaan would have won the award first. But yes, the movie is excellent and touching. VIsits to Indian slums would give script writers more real life stories. JAI HO!

Bollywood has lots of better movies which could have won oscars all these years over all Hollywood movies.

I personally think that if "Slumdog Millionaire" did not have the "British touch" , it would not have made it so far, NOT because they are non winners but due to lack of publicity and awareness in the western world.

It is high time Bollywood is recognised by "itself" without a foreign hand. It churns out a few "excellent" ones among all its productions.

Kudos to the Indian stars for its struggle all these decades for recognition and all the best for the future plans for expansion in the western hemisphere. After all it's the place of the highest movie production in the world, which many are not even aware of !!!

I also watched from Paris until 6 am !
I'm a great cinema-goer (average 50 films a year in theaters alone, not to mention those on pay tv), so Oscar night is always expected anxiously, as is our French equivalent the César night next Friday.
I think that Merryl Streep is an empress – her talent ranks so much above everybody that she deserves an Oscar for ALL her career, past, present and future. Even in the awful Mama Mia she was terrific. Pity her taste in clothes is not a match....
Kate Winslett might just be her sexier equivalent in her own generation. There is nothing she could not play. I hope that she'll at last get the same pay as little Reese Witherspoon who does not reach Kate's ankle (as we say in France)
Robert Downey (and even the usually boring Tom Cruise) were exceptional in that very funny film Tropic Thunder, and this should have been acknowledged. I've always found Sean Penn to be overacting (can I hear your boos ?). He's ok but lacks subtlety.Sulking or looking angry is not acting. Robert Downey can convey so much with an absolutely immobile face, including the little distance he puts between himself and the character.
I adore Heath Ledger and since Brokeback he will live in my heart forever, but I don't think it's quite right to crown dead people with an Oscar. The Golden Globe should have been enough.
Waltz with Bashir is an exceptional film, very original in its form and very thought provoking. It's unfair that it went out empty- handed, just like it did in Cannes to the dismay of most of the critics.
I feel very strongly that the wonderful Melissa Leo did not get enough media attention. She's not big star material, though her work in that excellent little film Frozen River touched me much more than Slum Dog (and she did look gorgeous last night).
Personally I think that the voters probably felt that Branjelina, already blessed with love, children, glamour, celebrity and talent did not need Oscar (s) on top of it all, even though their respective performances were equally commendable. They are fine actors (especially Brad who was fabulous in Burn after Reading).
I look forward to seeing Milk, The Reader, and Frost/Nixon, though the little I've seen of Langella's interpretation makes me wince. He sounds and looks awful. Antony Hopkins was fantastic playing Nixon a few years back.
Lastly I want to pay an homage to actors like Richard Jenkins and Philip Seymour Hoffman who are never dull or boring, but always totally believable and remarkable in any of their performances. They are wonderful actors and I just hope that one day their talent will be recognized even though they are not glamourous.
Alexandre Desplat's music in BB was fantastic but probably not show-off enough. It is delicate and refined and accompanies the whole film wonderfully.
PS : honestly, I find it quite exagerated when one movie gets so many rewards – in any given year. The quality of all the nominees should not be so blatantly ignored and the prizes should be more evenly distributed when no one films sticks out in particular. I'd really like to be a fly on the wall of the voters to see whether a) they have really seen what they are judging b) they are even qualified to make a good judgment and c) if their votes are not copied from their friends.....

Yes only thats thing .....The Indian life style, emmotion...the story of indian slamdogs...At last our indian music ...all of this ...rule on the red curpet of oscar ...I am proud to be an Indian...and congrats to Danny Boyle and the hole team

Had "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" was entered in this year's award it could have given "Slumdog Millionaire" a run for its worth. SM's at the right time where CTHD's was the right precedent.

Some of the previous comments about why S Millionaire shouldn't have won sound downright sour grapes or dare I say, protectionist.

I am not Indian. I have seen S Millionaire, B Button and F/Nixon. B Button has an interesting concept, but the filmakers did not make the best use of the original material. It was only good. F/Nixon was a bit poorer than B Button. It was only supported by F Langella's acting. 'All the President's men' it was not.

S Millionaire kept me at edge of my seat! I was rooting for the underdog to win! Some might say that it is not equal to the great films of past years such as Gone with the Wind, but surely they can go and watch some of the past Best Picture winners and say that many of them are not as good as GWTWind. Can you remember when Titanic won? Urrgh!

I think that the gist of it – that S Millionaire won because Hollywood was so lousy this year. If Titanic can win in a lousy year, why can't S Millionaire?

the oscar has gone to the dogs... while SM is a good film, it does not deserve such high honors... it is nothing but a narration of an often-used, by-now-abused theme of poor people with aspirations. it's as old as old can get as a movie theme. the acting, the direction were FAR from extraordinary. film critics must be smoking something these days, must be the effect of the economic crisis hitting them right in their heads!

'Slumdog Millionaire' left me speechless. It's like what I read in a fairy tale 'Cinderella' when I was small. That is 'a dream is a wish that your em.heart makes when you fast asleep, in dream you will lose your heart-ache, if you keep on believing, a dream that you wish will come true.' I hope there are many out there whose dreams are realized and based on that we have more movies made about them for inspirations.

In every aspect, SM was an underdog...But this is what made this movie different. You don't need multi million dollar flick, very experienced actors all the time to win Oscars.
SM is a story relevant in this modern day "advanced society". Socially this movie has done a marvelous and a bold portrayal of life of these children and this was not a fairy tale.
This was not a "typical" Oscar winning movie, but it sure was good and deserved the credit it got.

I can understand why people think Slumdog shouldn't have won an Oscar. Many arguments make sense logically. But think about the wider perspective. This movie had such a huge impact given its budget. It reached out to so many people, across culture, language, race, religion. I've lived in Mumbai, during the 1992 communal riots, and this movie captured the essence of what it was like. To those who think the reader, or benji b should have won the award... probably, but don't discount how well the story and the cinematography, and all the different elements in slumdog were put together. Filming a movie in the slums of India is such a difficult and trying experience – far far away from the comforts of filming in comfortable and familiar surroundings within the US and Europe, that you have to give it thought. Come on people, lets enjoy the fact that a different movie won an Oscar. Lets lose the "stereotype" of what an Oscar winning movie should be. Surely the fact that it won the BAFTA's, Golden Globes and Cannes awards means something!

well ,being an Indian iam happy to see SDM sweeping the oscars .back in India this movie evoked equal responses of appreciation and criticism . i choose the former one .

we need some amount of strength to accept the truth and SDM slapped that truth hard on our face .the poverty ,social discrimination,communal politics ,child labor e.tc showcased by SDM are the real time challenges INDIA needs to address urgently .

SM stunned my wife and I. The full theatre was silent and no left until the credits rolled. The story, editing and filming were superb.

We went back to our car and cried our eyes out. We adpoted a boy from Calcutta and picked him up there. The kids we met and faces we saw came to life again through this move.

SM didn't try to cover the darker side of India. It is an amazing country with wonderful people. But it also has a darker side were a life has no value. This story captured that in a very creative way.

No other move came close.

Slumdog Millionaire was a great movie and deserved the Oscar's that it rightfully won.

There's no love of any kind in "SM". I remember Latika (FPinto) asking Jamal (Dev Patel): you wanna take me out of here, we are going to live of what?... she only came closer to Jamal when the news was up that he was about getting rich and femous. LIFE!

Honestly, "The Curious was a very elaborated plot movie", unfortunately there was not lot of pop music in the movie...

Since you have been writing on television and films, I would like to inform you about a website which is a co-operative for film criticism, production and exhibition. The birth of a counter-culture as well as a question for the ‘Bombay monopoly’.

http://www.indianauteur.com

People know very well that Oscars are awarded depending on Hollywood's "mood swing" and this year "Slumdog" is a shoe in for best picture and add 7 more for good measure. A West produced and directed movie set in India with local actors....is already half way there to Oscars. India is a heavy counterweight to China rising influence and that makes Indians the favorite "minority" of the moment. To have westerners and indians celebrating in triumph and unity in front of worldwide audience is worth few gold plated statues. All that said,i enjoyed the movie.

To answer Ricki's question, Slumdog Millionaire was not entered into the Best Foreign Movie award, as this really should not be the title of the category. There are many movies that are made overseas, but are not in this category. The requirement is that the movie be in a language other than English; so I guess it should be the Best Non-English Speaking Movie award... but that doesn't sound as catchy!

I was impressed with A.R. Rahman and his humility, his valiant attempt at humour which was largely ignored and his very telling comments about his choice to choose love over hate. Brilliant.

I think okuribito.
It is sentimental.

SM is all about telling a story. Infact, it tells 3 stories without the viewer realizing how well the movie inter twines the story of overcoming the odds, finding love and hope. Many have asked what kind of movie is it.... It is DRAMA. Hello, when was the last time you heard 3 stories in one movie well done? It is a great movie on a low budget and no name actors. But it has all the makings of a great movie. Period.

I am glad that SM won the oscar for the best film category. But in some cases such as 'picture quality', I felt that 'The Curious case of Benjamin Button' deserved it more.

It makes me happy to see A.R. Rehman win an oscar. But as an Indian, I want my brethren from around the globe to know that 'Jai Ho', the song for which he won one of his oscars, is just a mediocre song. It is way off-the-league from his other works. Trust me, that song has received one the lower ratings in internal polls when compared to his other songs, here in India.

Indians will understand what I am saying here. Songs from films such as 'Roja', 'Bombay', 'Rang De Basanti', 'Lagaan' (another foreign category oscar nominated film) are far superior.

However the good thing is that Rehman is now in the limelight. Hopefully his future works will be appreciated more, internationally. Its heartwarming to see big names such as Warner Bros, 20th century fox enter bollywood.

And Kudos to all the other oscar winners especially Sean Penn. He is amazing in 'Milk'. The film released just this Friday, here in India.

Keshav Kamat
Bangalore, India.

Well, I muz say tat "Slumdog Millionaire" really captured me & salute to the pple behind this. Well done & looking forward for more from the India.....

Slumdog Millionaire truly deserved the 8 Oscars it received if not more.

Though the film crew was mostly western the film cast was completely Indian which was why the film was so special for all Indians.

I thoroughly enjoyed each and every second of the live telecast of the Academy Awards I saw on TV. Hugh Jackman was brilliant in his performance.

The moment I was anticipating for a long time finally arrived when AR Rahman enthralled the audience with the hit song 'Jai Ho' and followed by collecting the two Oscars.

India has erupted in Joy to see its favorite sons AR Rahman and Resul Pookutty(Received award for Sound Mixing)wining the ultimate entertainment award.

Truly Feb 23 will be one of the most memorable events in my life which I would never forget in the years to come.

if Sm can do it ,, so can any movie with a small budget or unknown actors, Its time America opens up to accept that there are better movies around the world and Hollywood has competitors. Benjamin Button was good and the act was top class, but the story line was predictable, just as it was for Dark Knight, modern use of CGI has its limits,, but a story line which touches millions of heart is hard to find..
AR.Rahman a man who has been around before in movies and plays ,, at last has something to be proud of,, his music has graced several world class plays,, and orchestras but today he showed that being an underdog can be celebrated for.
Hollywood should look up and be proud that movie industry's around the world are learning from them and producing mind blowing entertaining movies.

It has been an unforgettable moment for every Indian!! Finally , Indians have begun stealing the limelight at the international film stage which thy deserved ages ago. The movie has a universal appeal and shows the spirit of the underdogs in this current world. The music was marvellous. But the musician has much better compositions to his credit. India has arrived!! Jai Ho!! Mera Bharat Mahan!!!

Slumdog millionaire won deservedly because we could identify with the innocence of the kids and the raw & rough ride they go through. Though it was a movie I was willing him on to win the millions! Similarly oscars have redeemed themselves by recognising british and indian cinema instead of rejoicing in their own victories. This is atrue victory for oscars.

i think its a vice- versa economic package to open doors to new entertainmaint market considering the slum in the market ... which i think benifits both worlds of cinema

the movie is very captivating and breathtaking . it is actually hilarious and i loved it.

I think slumdog millionaire is a good movie, but It's not a great movie. Guess audiences are tired of watching the greatest classic movies these days, so we shifted our attentions to bollywood to seek for something fresh.

In India"SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE" was a commercial flop as the poor slum Indians criticised the movie for exploiting their poverty while the mega rich and Intelligentsia for depicting Mumbai as a filthy poor country and not an emerging economic power .The unbelievable "Oscar Award Collection" is now creating a "Slumdog Millionaire" frenzy by the media in showcasing the lives of authentic "INDIAN SLUM DOG MILLIONAIRES", people who have made it from rags to riches, besides, the films "Poverty Exploitation" topics have ceased in debates.
Being a cinema freak, i saw "Slumdog Millionaire" in a near empty Regal theatre of Mumbai during its social and political lambasting and liked the "Screenplay" as well as music of the film and its direction.The story was nothing innovative to the average Mumbaikar used to seeing poverty in daily life ,but its presentation and the triumph of hope against human destiny clinched the "Oscars" and World Attention.

movies do not need money to be the best. It is a very clean movie without the trash of Hollywood of the recent years. it shed light on real ife problems lived by real people. Everything in this movie is great, images, sound, suspense,... the actors' acting skills are genuine....
I am very happy that the judges chose this movie!
Finally Hollywood wakes up to re discover the real acting!
We need a change in Hollywood's movies: Stop the trash! stop destroying the moral values in the society! we do not need bad language, sex, nudity with empty stories. Work on impriving the society not destroying it!

The theater was packed with people.I was very excited to see this so commented film. During 30 minutes, the room was completly silent. It seems to me that the whole crowd was in state of shock, like me. I couldn't stand such cruel reality. I ran out of the room completly sad and I thought that it was too much to bear. Such poverty and desdain regarding so many unfortunate human beings shouldn't be part of this world. Though, I am glad that some people have guts to show it.

I think it should be called Slamdunk Billionaire

why is it called slamdunk

Heath Ledger would not have won if he had not died. Penelope Cruz may have won for a body of work. She was excellent in "Volver," but too over-the-top in "Vicky Cristine Barcelona" (a mediocre film, in my opinion).

Not a single element of this movie was Oscar worthy, or any award worthy for that matter. Much dissapointment..

I guess the the movie showcased the hard realities of life in Mumbai which is now open to the whole world. Award winning movies are not just about the top cast/crew, glamour, high bugdets, sex, stunts etc etc. This is indeed a different movie of its kind and definitely had a message. Lets all face it that India still being a developing country face such hard realities but often gets unnoticed to the outside world.
For people living in India, they have no choice but to accpet it. Survival is the fittest. This is more an eye opener for our corrupt and dirty politicians who only look at welfare of themselves, party workers and immediate family members and responsible for country being in such pathetic condition. I strongly beleive that the rest of the world can now react and help the concerned people wake up to this situation and do something about slum dwellers and rural development. For this only reason, I am proud that this movie has made it big. It definitely deserves more. Maybe the cast had no star status but each one of them has done a spectacular job in their respective roles. The kids especially – kudos to them and god bless India and our proud country!!

The movie was interestingly told and captiviating.

Still there have been plenty of movies that have been the same bt never received the acclaim or publicity of Slumdog. I think there is a political aspect to its fame that originates from the creators rather than the subject matter.

This film is famous primarily because it is British. Had it been Indian, it wouldn't have enjoyed the coorperation of Western media.

All told, a great film that will hopefully open doors for more diversity in Western media.

i feel that the curious case of benjamin button was a far superior movie, it touched on themes which were deeper and harder to explore than simplist themes such as poverty, undying love and others than sm touched on..nevertheless it was a thoroughly enjoyful movie, but i have to say i have seen much better bollywood made and directed films than this hollywood/bollywood production

Larry King,u should bring a change by bringing world cinema to your show,the legend itself from indian cinema Mr.Amitabh Bachan and let america see a world beyond hollywood as slumdog has taken by storm you will meet the most famous man in india who made who wants to be a millionaire famous and was mentioned in this movie too and still remains the most charming and towering personality world has ever seen with his presence and voice,he is the man to meet,hope u do!

World may be forgetting Indian movie director "Satyajit Ray"(popular as Ray). He had also won Oscar for life time achievement. SM cannot be considered parallel with any worst movie of Ray also. India had so many directors...don't consider Bollywood.. Bollywood does not only represent Indian Panorama..(Remember Ray is not part of Bollywood at all). A good movie watcher should see Indian Poverty (Slum) representation in many movies of South Indian directors, Ray, Mrinal Sen, Rittik Ghatak, Gobind nihalni(Dharabi), Mira Nair(Salaam Mumbai). SM is the misrepresentation of Indian slums. Not accurate representation. Indian slums are having much more worst state. What I can say.. this is a view point of Non-Indian team crew towards Indian slum. They had missed actuality. I think they had a need of more cultural handshaking and more study before doing this movie. Then we can say .. "Jai ho" SM. I am very much sure about the caliber of SM crew. They can create a good movie which can really create a history in world movie. Not for SM like movie.. I'll wait for a good movie of them.

choose love

There is nothing surprising about Slumdog Millionaire (SM) getting the Oscars. A well produced film (like SM) that mocks India and things Indian is bound to do well in the West. Of course, there are a huge number of deprived people in the West, even though these countries have a much smaller population than India's and much more wealth. A film covering such an issue for the West is not likely to do well in the West. Indeed it will not do well in India, either. In fact, all films about India that have done well in the West (including Satyajit Ray's) portray India in a poor light. Poverty, disease, deprivation and all that. This is oldest trick in the book for some Westerners and the Westernised elite in India – portray India in a bad light and get famous overnight. There have been many Indian film-makers (like Bimal Roy) who have portrayed a more rounded picture of Indian culture. But these film-makers will never become famous in the West or with the Westernised Indian elite. For that, they would have to understand Indian languages. God forbid, that things should come to such a pass! Westernised Indian elites and Westerners would be at a loss for words.

People should change the their sight about the India.
The movie made a big conversation market place. Here.

absolutely great movie this movie is the message to people that how a poor people maintain his mind and not disappoint for his worst circumstances. It has shown that a slum person can do everything he can achieve his desire...and all whatever he think...

Slumdog is a harbinger, and not an offset. I believe Director Danny has removed the lid on an talent-pot that has been boiling for a long time, and will wake the industry to the fact that audience's taste can both be successfully catered to (proven by the movie's success prior to the Oscars), and also encouraged to evolve. In this case the encouragement is specifically into a trans racial or universal direction. Exactly a formula for industries or societies seeking to expand and grow beyond the stereotypical, parochial or hegemonic. It is in a spirit of hope, survival and of course continuation. It's a trend seen in the industries of both English and Indian film industries.

i watched SM and it is a nice movie than the curious case of benjamin button. SM deserves the oscar. the music is nice and it made the movie much entertaining. the camera ngles are good as well. i also love the dance at the end of the movie =0

I was a little disturbed after watching ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ in the first week after its release. The bluntness with which it showed the blatant realities of slum & people from slum was not at all made me feel good. But the film was thought provoking, original and it had a message. The following was the positives, which I enjoyed about the film.

1. You can get a girls body through force, money etc. But her soul & love she decided to give to the person who loves her unconditionally and whom she loves.

2. In normal circumstances an individual’s personality does not change. Sigmund Freud could be right here. You are who you are due who you were in your childhood (However, I personally am a violation of this theory). Salim, the hero was loving (remember he giving shelter to Latika), determined (remember he jumping to human excreta to get autograph from movie superstar, searching & finding Latika) etc. But his elder brother was always after money and instant gratification. (Remember he selling Salim’s autograph for money, what he does to Latika).

3. You get what you focus on in your life. Salim got love from & unification with his girl. Greedy brother got a deathbed, which he created of currencies for himself indicating peoples desire to be dead with plenty what they always loved.

After watching the movie my sleep was delayed atleast by two hours due to me thinking about the movie & its characters. Believe me this has rarely happened in my live which indicates the power of movies’ presentation. I am happy that it won the oscars.

I was a little disturbed after watching ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ in the first week after its release. The bluntness with which it showed the blatant realities of slum & people from slum was not at all made me feel good. But the film was thought provoking, original and it had a message. The following lessons I enjoyed from the film.

1. You can get a girls body through force, money etc. But her soul & love she decided to give to the person who loves her unconditionally and whom she loves.

2. In normal circumstances an individual’s personality does not change. Sigmund Freud could be right here. You are who you are due who you were in your childhood (However, I personally am a violation of this theory). Salim, the hero was loving (remember he giving shelter to Latika), determined (remember he jumping to human excreta to get autograph from movie superstar, searching & finding Latika) etc. But his elder brother was always after money and instant gratification. (Remember he selling Salim’s autograph for money, what he does to Latika).

3. You get what you focus on in your life. Salim got love from & unification with his girl. Greedy brother got a deathbed, which he created of currencies for himself indicating peoples desire to be dead with plenty what they always loved.

After watching the movie my sleep was delayed at least by two hours due to me thinking about the movie & its characters. Believe me this has rarely happened in my life which indicates how touching the movie was for me. I believe there is no such thing as a best movie as it can change from person to person and from time to time. Still I am happy that it won big at the Oscars.

Slumdog m deserved to win an oscar for various reasons. Especially for originality! we are all tired of expensive hollow movies,studded with overpaid stereotypical actors. It is reminiscent of classic hollywood movies[The plot actually thickened!].
plus the cinematography and music were spectacular.finally another work of art.Finally A.R Rahman gets recognition for his unique talent.He amplifies every emotion in movies he works on.
oh!loveleen tandon did an excellent job of enabling danny boyle.I wonder why people are forgetting that?
Dr.ayeesha .s

Slumdog Millionnaire must have opened the eyes of the Holywood directors to create meaningful films and not some baseless stories which turn the world into a mad house. When you watch some hollywood films such as mr and mrs and many more what do we our younger generation pick up? Absolutely nothing. Only new techniques for robberies, killing, bombing and nothing else.

The decision made on slumdog M. must have opened the eyes of everyone in the world. This is reality. Why should be live in fantasy world. Why should we guide the future generations to live in fantasy world. Go out to the world and pick up real life stories and make films to educate the world.

So blatantly a political decision.
But who cares.
It's a big pat on the back for Indian Cinema, and a golden key to the city from the academy in Hollywood. Best of friends.
Good :)

I thought SlumDog Millionaire was the kind of movie I hope for when I go to the movies. For me, it delivered in so many ways. It provided an interesting way of telling a person's life story that overcame the limitations for attention at least I obviously possess. It cleverly intermingled entertainment with more serious reality sharing. It coaxed me into seeing from within otherwise unfamiliar perspectives, but perspectives common in every culture and community across the globe. It brought me closer to the people of India, although I intellectually suspect somewhat told and filtered by an British lens. But most important of all, it entertained. It quickly and gently built a rapport with me and then subtly guided and carried my emotions for the length of the film. This latter bit is what to me makes or breaks a movie.

the film really stands out beyond all that rubbish on screens- really brings up your feelings. What's better than walking out after, under great impression, overfilled with emotions......is the rare thing to happen.................

SM is like the Indian version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Ignorance lead to an undeserving celebration of a mediocre Gongfu movie then, and now – Oscar ignorance continues with another over-lauded winner; for a 'Bollywood' style that has been around for decades.

Both movies lack authenticity in script, accents, plot and overall believability. Both a ridiculous attempt at representing cultures that deserve more than just stereotypes.

That being said, Crouching opened up a new era of Asian-crossover films and stars in Hollywood. And likewise, SM will do the same for Bollywood.

What's next after China and India?

For all the people worrying about the future of those Slumdog kids ....
they all will be provided new homes by the governmant
and The producers of slumdog are creating a SM musical to raise funds for them. ... besides ..... producing cover versions of rahman's tracks to raise more funds ... sounds good

I am an Indian and I felt “Benjamin Button” would have been a better choice.Though SM is good and enjoyable but it has a sloppy story and average class actors ( child actors were better than Dev Patel and Pinto). Definitely it doesn’t deserve to win so many oscars (except music). Even a child in India can tell you that people in slum don’t speak english and that too in british accent and using colt revolver doesn’t mean that the person knows who the inventor was; but it seems the jury was too naive to realize this.

Slumdog Millionnaire is good moive But .... "the best movie of the year" dont you think its to much and i wonder why was it not running in the best foreign picture category... ?

Guess hollywood needs a good market ... and india is there
Benjamin, is THE movie ...of the year

Who went to the Theater to see this? I hadn't even heared of it until it won.

Go Slumdog but should it not have been something people have seen?

SM was a great movie considering its subject and the shoe-string budget that was used in producing it. In addition, the young children, generally, performed wonderfully well, thanks to the creditable guidance from the director.
The movie has highlighted the lack of social justice in India despite its democracy . It now appears that special interests flourish while about 1/3 population are rpresented in SM and more than 1/3 live slightly better than slumdogs, regrettably. No doubt, India has been holding regular elections but the caste and rich/poor divide appear to be terrible threats whcih need to be seriously addressed.
SM also shows how helplessly the minorities survive. One hopes that india would learn to think of the majority of the population which, as per UN reports, survives on about $ 2 a day. They are low caste Hindus, Muslims, Christians.

"I was hoping Angelina would win something. she was amazing in Changeling, it was a brilliant film and definately deserved to be recognised. I think Angelina is a very talented actress and it’s about time she got an oscar."

Angelina received an Oscar for best supporting actress in 2000, in the film Girl Interrupted.

SM was the best of a very bad bunch of films that were shortlisted.

Also it is not right to compare AR Rahman's skills to others competing for music scores because it was not a level playing field for all composers. SM was ten stories that resolved with a minute or so of music. Other composers had a flat film to work with.

ALso on you tube a few postings are pointing out where AR may have copied some pieces from. And to think an Academy voted for a song the lyrics of which they could not actually understand also casts a shadow on the whole process.

I for one has lost faith in Oscars now. It seems the system does not give a level playing field to all and one. It is based on luck.

You could win if everyone else was so bad...

I heard about the film and brought my wife to cinema. After the film my wife just said thank you, thank you, thank you for taking me to this film. It was the best I have seen in years. I personally think this is the best film made for several years. Far away from hollywood. As someone wrote, a good story beats everything!

Hi Smarties,
The two slum kids who were on hollywood movie slum dog millionaire needed the help from indian government to find a home.
Strange, after recieving a large sum of earnings from role in a Holly wood movie?

I guess, indians have been watching oscar award worthy movies quite commonly. Its the first time Hollywood gets a glimpse of it

First the jobs, now the movie industry. What else will India take away from the U.S.? Soon there'll be unemployed U.S. actors and actresses because acting will be outsource to the people in the slums of India for a lot less money or just for food.

SDM, a movie without a star cast, that we can fogive, but a best movie, without BEST ACTORS???????????????, well, The Cruious Case of Benjamin Button, would have been the perfect Best Movie of the year for the Oscars, quality wise, besides all those nominations, just unfair.
About Penelope Cruz winning the Oscars, I watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona last night, and honestly, that caracter was a piece of cake for her, 90% of the movie, she is speaking her mother tongue, plus, acting next to her last years, Oscar winning current boyfriend, that caracter didnt required any effort from Cuz, being just herself in the movie, the Academy is full of politics and not giving the award to the right person sometimes....................

I like SM. Movies evolve everyday so it's just fitting that the Oscar Best Picture went to this little film. I think it's unfair to compare it to other Best Picture winners because every film has its own strength and weaknesses. But in my opinion, the film deserves every accolade it gets.

Benjamin Button was real good, oscar good.
Slumdog, though interesting, didn't impressed me that much. It was very good in the beginning, then it became more or less predictable and the happy end just spoiled it.
Benjamin Button on the other hand was more meaningful and well told.
I even liked Gran Torino and Vicky Cristina Barcelona more then Slumdog.

My God What a Film !!! It's unlike anything I have ever seen before. Just forget all the talks of portrayal or poverty and negativity...at the end its all about triumph of Hope and Love and Sacrifice above Everything Else. It deserves each of the awards that it got and believe me its not for showing poverty...one can easily realize if one sees the film through the end. Its a fantasy film no doubt .... but most of the mainstream Indian films are fantasy...only this is a different kind of fantasy.

However, nobody should start to think that all that slumdog shows is reality. If they expect these incidents to be commonplace in India they'd be disappointed. These are as rare as an illiterate winning a million rupees in a game show. There are technical weaknesses and weakness in certain part of the script too. But lets not focus on that...rather the focus should be on the message of Hope, Love and Sacrifice that triumphs at the end.

Story telling is an art that has for a long time been lost to Hollywood... Benjamin Button revived the faith that a great movie or rather masterpiece doest have to be about cars or guns! Am all the way in Uganda, Africa and i believe that it deserved the 7 Oscars for its depth, impact and that monologue...brilliant!!!!

As I watched Slumdog Millionaire, I felt good. The movie was a combination of excitement, sadness and thrill. It was definitely an inspiring movie and I had never seen nothing like it. The storyline "shocked" and impressed. I truly believe, Slumdog Millionaire deserved all its 8 Oscar awards.

I grew up in a slums in the centre of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. When I watched SM, it reminds me moment during my younger days which have similarities of what Jamal, Salim and Latika had gone through. It was very nostalgic, eventhough it was so painful that my parents had to suffer in financial difficulties that we had to live in a slums, but as a young kid at the age of 3 till 12, I was enjoying the life as just like the three partagonist in the SM. But we learnt from the suffering, my dad passed away when I was 10 due to car accident and my mum had taken the roles in parenting 6 childrens. It is all over now. Me and my sibling had grown up and turned up of being successfull career person and currently parenting our mother. Of course, we are not millionaire (and not tend to be, like Jamal) but all I can say the movie and the experience had taugh us that life is full of surprises. SM deserved the Oscar!!!!

Do you know why slumdog won?

Because everyone of us wants to track down that lost love, well, we lost during our growing up years.

The hero goes to the quiz show, not for money, but to find his love.

The movie can be remade in any setting, say a guy goes to 'Who wants to be a millionaire', to win the dough and 'locate' his lost love.

It seems like were losing ground here,NOT!! Hollywood is by far the elite of show cinema , this is just a hype that will pass...Indian movies arent for international audiance, it too Indian cultural and its style just wont interest global viewers unlike Hollywood...

Personally, I felt Changeling was much better than Slumdog. I was surprised at 8+ nominations for slumdog and even more surprised when it won. I still can't figure out what everyone liked so much about it..it is no way close to hit Bollywood films..the music is not even hit in India..didn't top the charts anywhere..and it seems like a poorly done film to me. The story line is good, but it failed to impress me at all.

Slumdog was the most unrealistic movie I have seen even by Bollywood standards. The scene in which the boy runs around asking for an autograph covered from head to toe in human excrement is disgusting and absurd. There are no slum boys like that. The police don't torture and apply electric current for such matters.

Slumdog was definately a good watch but not sure if it was 8 oscar material.

After watching the video of the children returning home I could not help to be upset. The children did not look happy and the crowds around them were unsafe. At the end of the video, there are two men holding up a boys arms, he is not happy at all. These children must be tired and who is protecting them from these kinds of horrible situations?

I am amazed that indians are so proud to be dogs in the slums. Firstly, this is not an Indian film which by the way I think few Indians are forgetting. I am not very much in love with bollywood movies as such because they are unrealistic but it shocked me when Oscar recognized a movie which might be said the most unrealistic ever made. What spirit does the people of Indian film industry are talking about when they say slumdog millionaire showed the most poorest people of India who are not educated and not even gets one time meal a day. Then it shows a boy becoming rich from the slums,realistically its unreal. In the slums people doesn't even know about Oscars. I am a middle class girl of India and I have seen all types of people around. I am dissapointed with oscars who are determined not to give an award to popular movies no matter how good it is. As much I think that the living standard of people of India are shown well in the film, I don't know what do people talk about when they say this is a part of Indian culture. Ultimately, rich people go to there air conditioned room and sleep and the super spirited "slumdogs" rest on the streets, who are deprived of there basic needs.

I saw the movie and see it more as a documentary of the class and religious problems in India.
As for being the BEST movie? Far from it. It appealed to people's anguish over the plight of others. But, until after the Oscars, the child stars from the slums were paid a pittance. The India government gave them homes outside the slums, BUT, the producers USED them and paid little.

Apparently, my first post is "under moderation"; I agree that "Changeling" was a remarkable movie. Angelina Jolie was remarkable in that.
My daughter had, at the age of 7, a bit part in a movie here in France. Her part was small, but I felt 200 francs, maybe $30, (no euro at that time) for 12 hours of work was a bit skint. THINK of these ghetto kids in India, who put in more time and were paid a pittance. I'm sure the TRUE Bollywood stars got paid a lot!

Please, be rational, Slumdog is not an "Indian" movie. The director is British, the male star is british also, the distribution house was Fox, so..... an indian production? C´mon.

First of all there is a difference between how the normal crowd view a movie and the movie critics. most of the best known movie awards for 2008 went to SM. there are many elements to look for in a movie. Big budgeted movie is not a main criteria. sometime its a good story told in a very creative way. SM is one example.
I'm an Indian but i don't really vouch for Indian movies because i believe most of the Indian movies are not worth in the international awards category. its not that we lack good directors and story line but general Indian population's taste for movie is somewhat different here.
there were some comments about the portrayal of the boy taking a dip at the outhouse to get an autograph is exaggerated. that may not be true in a real life. what is true in real life in India is men taking a dip at the manhole to clear the drain pipe blockage sometime drinking a drop or two dirty water. also true is men blinding children in order to fetch more money.
I have never heard of Indian government honoring any unknown actors who are in the same position as in the movie SM or the movie SM itself before it won Oscars to build flats for the slum kids.

Good job British directors.

I'm American, my family is Eastern European. They don't like the guns, explosions and even the star war approach to movies. It's in their roots because there have been many wars here. They know and understand poverty. Usually when buy a DVD they don't even want to sit down, fear the surround sound effects will take over. When I played Slumdog, they didn't even want to sit down..... they did finally si down, got quiet and felt the anxiety of the actors, the sorry for the girl... even understood the torture of the boy when police thought he was cheating. As an American movie person, I could say Slumdog was not so good.. blah, blah.. my international audience made me think.. it is a great movie.

The children who appeared in the film are the real stars, they really made the movie, The filming was great, Great ending but what did he do with 20 million ruppes? Should make a sequal.

I would like to see a good portion of the profits from the movie go to sustainable projects to help the people in the slums, like the amazing child actors. The movie is glorious. The slums are heart-breakingly tragic.

I was surprised that Vicky Christina Barcelona won an Oscar. While I enjoyed the fllm it was surprising that the film was in Spanish and not in Catalan, the language most widely spoken in Barcelona. This is like producing a film set in the UK where the cast all speak French!

I agree Penn was not a shock, the writing was on the wall when he won SAG. Actors make up the majority of Academy voters, if they gave Penn best actor at their own awards it was a strong chance he'd bag this. Not a sure thing, but no surprise.

The only big surprise of the night for me was that Anne Hathaway should be on Broadway. That girl can sing!

Oh, and note for Steph above with the Angelina love. Agree she was great in Changeling. She does have an Oscar though. She won for Girl Interrupted.

The Only deserving winner at the Oscar's is Heath Ledger for his potrayal of "Joker"

SM – A Good Story board nicely filmed – also teaches in the present situation not to go for expensive actors and sets to get mass support or awards. It is only a story and need not take what the film have shown as real thing in India. Jai Ho !

"'Slumdog Millionaire'" , Fantastic movie and production , it deserved all its awards . At least it had realistIc content and clever production . An oscar winner movie for sure , BRAVO

A Very good and a realistic movie! Now we need to understand that people are bored with watching all commercial movies, they want to watch a realistic movie which has real arts, music and emotions! I'm very proud to see those kids performance without having any training. Through this movie we can say that an art doesn’t care about any race, color, poor-rich and boundaries. Only through arts and music we can change the world and bring the harmony and peace among the communities!!

-Neerja

JAI HO!!

I am happy slumdog won, they deserved it :D

Slumdog Millionaire was a good movie with a very nice theme. Moreover, the acting was fine, so was the direction. However, I think this is the most over rated movie. I think it was nice movie but it was not nice enough to get 8 OSCARS.
Secondly, the kind of international footage Fareeda Pinto and Dev patel are getting, that is too much. I think younger Jamals and Latika were far better than these two. I watched the movie after I heard they have received 8 Oscars but was astonished. I use to think OSCARS are the authentic awards of all time but after this year’s stint, there are a lot of questions in my mind.

It is good to see that we can transend the barriers of movie sterotypes and and include Bollywood movies.

its not shock its all about reality presented in beautiful humorous way
.. top of it world need to come together n solve the problem so that it doesn't remain reality any more

slum dog mill........... really portrait a real story, true no big star, work done by slum boys went un notice no one praises the small kids who work really hard in a true natural way, paid a penny for their efforts that was real shocking. Dany work was appreciated and he got the award for non fiction movie that is shocking news, or i will say we are having habit to watch hyper movies a hero and heroin doing factious work , a movie beyond the trend that is shocking all.
a real subject in this industry is still missing, no one want to show the reality a truth, subject like education and heath is missing, normal middle class people are still struggling for good quality education and and good health care, a need of time is more picture should come with clear message for quality education and importance of heath care system. this is my sole opinion thanks
anwar h karani

I am from the city of Satyajit Ray. Trust me, we should have have at least 2-3 Oscars by now. Movies like Pather Pachali can still claim its righful place amongst Oscar winners.

All, accross the world – Take off your western hat and see this movie.

You will see in coming years more movies from India and China winning Oscars and other BS. And the reason is not that they are so good but because Hollywood need money from those countries. There is question why retired President of Academy, maybe did not agree to play ball. There is rumors that some two brothers from Bollywood have 1,3 bil. deal with Spielberg and Dramworks and who gave Oscar to Slumdog on gala. In crisis everything is for sale.

Nothing special movie with made up unbelievable scenario, fairytale really. total BS.

I have read all the comments on this page; but no one seems to under-stand, why these Oscars are given to SM!
1. They do not understand, what cinema is?
2. Cinema is an art, not a commercial produkt!
3.Cinema should be of realism!
For the above reasons, I strongly authenticate that SM deserved
of the 8 Oscars.
My only shock is, how is that The Acadamy Award panels have
awaken after 80 years to realize SM as an Art film!
I hope they maintain this in years to come, and excell the cannes´
Palm de Ore awards

The story line of Slumdog Millionaire is shallow and not that great. But I did enjoy viewing scenes from the slums, which was an eye opener. And I did enjoy the acting skill of the young kids. The acting skill of the teenage actors were average though. There is need for Indians to be ashamed or angry that scenes of the slums were shown. Most people know they are there. And many people are also aware of the achievements of India in the high tech industry, and Bangalore is also well known. But then if you do a movie of some high tech geeks from Bangalore, it may not be as entertaining.Ah yes, the OSCAR. Hollywood has an eye on the Indian market, of course. But the OSCARs and Hollywood has always been about money and market for the movies. And right now everybody is eyeing the India and China market. If you want really artistic and quality movies, there a few other film festivals for that. Hollywood and Oscars are NOT about quality movies. It is about $$$ .

Slumdog was a great movie. It goes to the credit of the cast and the director to have produced a popular presentation out of practically nothing. As its focus is on the deprivations/depredation suffered by the poor in India, it provoked strange reactions. In a world dominated by the inhuman hold of money due to the current capitalistic culture all over the Globe, such a subject is a 'shock' for the well-to-do, even of the Indian origin. No wonder, many in the west are berating it just because they did not find any sex symbols or stereotyped focus on something familiar etc.
Mumbai slums speak of the danger that the 'incredible' India faces. The repression of the slumdogs, who make 3/4 of the population mainly in the south/east etc of the country is major threat to Indian democracy dominated by the high-castes from Delhi/UP. No wonder there are insurgencies in 17 states of the Indian federation. Unless the rich surrender some wealth to temper the sufferings of the majority, anything can happen in india despite its massive acquisition of latest weaponery and planned mission to moon.
Slumdog millionaire may also have, indirectly, sent this message which humanists like Arundhati Roy etc keep on hammering much to the annoyance of the extremist Hindus/ 5% rich Hindus in India. We should dread the day when all slumdogs stand up to claim their rights effectively in India.

"Slumdog Millionaire" happened to be the most successful, Fortunately. The movie was great till the second half, but there wasn't any glorious thing beside the mumbai reality.

Slumdog is done in a very typical oscar winning film style, the once that I have seen so far and remember ( Schindler's List, Forest Gump, Gone with the wind, Titanic ) are all films that use the medium of film making to its best and potray the reality of Life and human suffering and how our actions make or change the civilisation we are part of.
There is a theme common to all this films in a way that they talk about people across the globes and talk about the meaning of existence and what Life is ! they mirror to us the truth of our lives and are done with an amount of honesty andso much so that it becomes a piece of art, in this case a film.

reading the comments here - i don't think people in america fully realize Slumdog is a BRITISH film with a BRITISH production and crew. This film isn't a "bollywood" or even indian film, so all of these comments about hollywood trying to expand into a bollywood or indian market is a bit off the mark completely...

Sm is a good picture, nothing more. It is probabbly the story and member's of The Academy sense of guilt the at made it so successfull at the Oscars.

What is shocking is that Waltz with Bashir didn't win. Almost a new Genre in cinematography. Way above all the others..

In the SM it show us the reality it’s not fairy tale and its dark side of India, it won the Academy because its touch many hearts as world of truth.

Let's see. Slumdog Millionaire is a foreign film. It is directed by a foreign director (England), filmed in a foreign land (India), with a foreign cast (India). Almost all the folks who worked behind the scenes are non-American. Why then was it not nominated into the Foreign Film category??

Last year's Best actors were all foreign. This year, well, not many Americans won. It has nothing to do with hating. It is just that this American would like to see American writers, directors, actors, and etc., raise the bar of their.... craft. Foreign writers, directors, producers, actors, film editors, music directors, etc., are exceeding American standards of cinema probably because American film folks have become lazy and reticent about their... craft.

The Academy Awards have seriously gone down hill. While trying so hard to be diverse, it has failed to truly understand great cinema. Maybe that's because American cinema and American actors and actresses are telling the same ole stories, regurgitating and reforming morsels and tidbits. If a film is truly original it's considered independent; and, we all know independents have a heck of a time getting the deserved recognition. If American cinema continues the direction it is going, the Academy might as well discontinue the Foreign Film category and nominate all foreign films in the Best Picture category, only.

C'mon, is there anyone in Hollywood or films that has an original story and the courage to make a truly tremendous film?

I really love the way Slumdog keeps its storyline... How every question on the contest blended with the story of living at the slum. Eveything made sense. In other hand, I found BB story kind of slow. It was Forrest Gump in reverse... Why Eric Roth cannot tell a story without a narrator?

well , i think slumdog millionaire was a quite good movie ..im an egyptian guy and i felt that we have a resemblence with the indians accoring to this movie.well, you can say that those kind of movies give a picture of what happen at the other side of the planet...i felt the real contradiction in society which was simply reflected in the scenes of the slum areas and mercedes...although india is now one of the big economic powers of the new world order ..we have this also in egypt ...you can have a slum area behind a beverly hill areas:)...what i like too is the end scene where you can feel the sarcastic sensation of the director for the bollywood kind of movies that always have the happy end with the dancing show :) ...i saw the curious case b4 that SM and i thought it's the best but after i saw SM i say they did the right thing.other movies were quite good too but this one was running in another different track NOT like others and that's what make it special.

I am now watching the movies that won the Oscars and started w/SM but after viewing (and all the associated hype) I can't agree with 8 oscars may 2 or 3 would have been believable but 8????? Really??

Please note: this is not an Indian movie, it is a movie about India.
And it shows the ugly face of Mumbai and not any good side of the place.
The poorest slumdog kids and their misery, nothing to be proud about.

However, it is a good movie with luckily a happy ending!
Definitely an Oscar winner!

:)

I understand that Hollywood is desperate to show how much they like other cultures and all, but *8* Oscars for SM ? Seriously, have they even seen the movie ?

It is not a good movie... the story is predicatable, the acting is simply terrible : soap opera actors do it better. I am pretty sure that in 5 years time, no one will still be talking about this movie.

Giving it as many oscars as Gone With The Wind is -further- proof that Hollywood has lost touch with the movie-going audience.

Give SM one or two Oscars, so you can get a couple of pretty pictures of the pretty children and some tear-jerking quotes, but *8* oscars is simply wrong. Best sound mixing ? Best Cinematography ?? Best Original Song ??? Come on !!!

Over the last few years any movie that recieves an Oscar is not worth seeing . I have given up on watching Oscar winning movies

I really want to know what's so special about SM. Also Taraji P. Henson should've won for Curious, just my thought.

I'm in Thailand, how can I watch this movie.
I saw this movie in etc India chinal.

Wonderful Post.

I want to thank you for the details.