Slumdog Millionaire takes home 8 Oscars, including Best Picture

Slumdog Millionaire Released: August 30, 2008 Studio: Celador Films, Film4 Genre: drama Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 141.32 Worldwide: 377.92 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: -- Worldwide: --

Directing: Danny Boyle Screenwriting: Simon Beaufoy Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan Review: Slumdog Millionaire is loosely adapted from the 2005 novel Q & A by Indian author Vikas Swarup. Jamal Malik (Patel) is an 18-year-old from the slums of Mumbai who competes on a Hindu version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? When he is one question away from winning the grand prize, he is accused of cheating and “recounts his life story to the police, illustrating how he was able to answer each question.” WK In flashbacks, we learn that “Jamal grew up under the protective wing of his older brother, Salim” (Mittal), BP and they “were chased by the police around the garbage-filled streets of Mumbai.” BP We also learn that Jamal’s goal in being on the show is not to win, but to attract the attention of Latika (Pinto), the girl he loves. They first met ten years earlier when the Malik brothers were orphaned. They then take to a life as street urchins, where they meet fellow orphan Latika. However, Salim is jealous and goes out of his way to keep the two apart. BoxOfficeProphets.com’s Matthew Huntley calls it “a rousing and beautiful masterpiece, a heartfelt story of survival and endurance, brotherhood and love.” BP “Slumdog never stops believing in the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity.” BP The British film was a sleeper hit that nabbed 8 Oscars, but there was some controversy over the depiction of poverty in India. WK Sources: BP BoxOfficeProphets.com review by Matthew Huntley WK Wikipedia

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Eras: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 8: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Musical Score, Best Original Song (“Jai Ho”), Best Sound Mixing Nominations: 10: Best Original Song (“O Saya”), Best Sound Editing Hall of Fames: Lists: First posted 3/5/2025.