Oscar triumph "Slumdog Millionaire" based on novel

MediaPhile@evpl — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:24:00 GMT

"Slumdog Millionaire" is based on "Q & A," a 2005 first novel by Vikas Swarup just re-released in a trade paperback edition bearing the movie's title. Swarup, an Indian diplomat who has served in Turkey, the United States, Ethiopia, and Great Britain, is currently India's Deputy High Commissioner to South Africa.

The story of a young, penniless, and semi-literate waiter who must justify how he managed to win India's biggest-ever quiz show jackpot, "Q & A" was an international bestseller, translated into 36 languages.

The breakaway hit movie ended up winning Best Movie and 7 other Oscars at last night's Academy Award ceremony, including honors for its director (Danny Boyle), screenplay, music, and cinematography. In fact if its stars had been better known, it could have been a clean sweep.

This is one to savor on the big screen -- don't miss it!

Slumdog Millionaire

this.is.not.here@evpl — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:21:00 GMT

On my son's recommendation, Slumdog Millionaire was at the top of my list of "must-see movies". He had said it was one of the best movies he'd ever seen. I'd never even heard of it but promised to check into it. First I found an article in Entertainment Weekly magazine then within a few days it was on the tongues of all the Hollywood or should I say "Bollywood" press. Since then it has won many awards namely Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild.

I saw it about a week ago and must admit it was very impressive. The rags to riches, feel-good movie is set in India and the script is based on the book, "Q and A" by Vikas Swarup. It was recently republished under the title "Slumdog Millionaire". For those of you unfamiliar with the genre of Bollywood films the term Bollywood has become synonymous with Indian or Hindi musicals, usually with extravagant sets and spectacular musical dance numbers, colorful costumes, and a love story. The first one I saw a few years ago was "Monsoon Wedding". This was full of music, colorful costumes, had a compelling love story and basically made you want to see all the foreign films like it. The subtitles were noninvasive and you really didn't notice them after a while.

Wikipedia has extensive information concerning the Bollywood film industry. I urge everyone to read it, comment, correct my mistakes and elaborate on any inconsistenties. As yet we do not have the movie but we do have Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack.

Movies Blog : Q and A

Oscar triumph "Slumdog Millionaire" based on novel

Slumdog Millionaire