MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- In the U.S., the film "Slumdog Millionaire" barely escaped going straight to video before it caught the eye of moviegoers and critics alike, becoming a sleeper hit and best picture nominee. It's viewed by many observers as the film to beat at the 81st annual Academy Awards.
Danny Boyle, left, celebrates with
actor Anil Kapoor, right, at the Mumbai premiere of "Slumdog Millionaire."
In the city where the movie was shot, Mumbai, India, the recognition came
much quicker and more enthusiastically.
The Mumbai premiere had all the makings of a scene from a Bollywood
blockbuster: Musicians banged on traditional Indian drums as the cast
and crew broke into dance on the red carpet in recognition of the 10
Academy Award nominations the film received Thursday. "It feels like a
million nominations," said director Danny Boyle, who earned one of the
nominations. Watch scenes from the Mumbai premiere » Bollywood legend Anil
Kapoor, who stars as the host of the Indian
version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" in the movie, said he was
with Boyle when the nominations were announced. "Danny had tears in his
eyes, and I couldn't control myself," Kapoor said. Watch Kapoor rave about the
film » But not everyone was celebrating.
The film, about a Mumbai orphan seeking fame and love through the
"Millionaire" game show, has stirred strong emotions among some Indian
critics. They found the word "slumdog" in the title insulting and
complained that the movie romanticizes poverty in India.
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Film critic Meenakshi Shedde said she was disappointed with the movie.
"What saddened me and annoyed me about the film is that it's a laundry
list of India's miseries," she said. "The poverty, the child labor, the
beggary, the prostitution, that part of it was just banal, I thought."
According to the Press Trust of India, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan
-- who once hosted the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire" -- recently cleared the air with Boyle regarding
Bachchan's reported criticism of the Golden Globe-winning film.
Such negativity was forgotten at the Mumbai premiere, which was
attended by several Bollywood celebrities. They said the event marked a
proud day for Indian cinema. Loveleen Tandan, who was the film's casting
director, said the entire cast was exhilarated by news of the Academy Award
nominations.As for her whether she believed "Slumdog Millionaire" had a chance
at the Oscars, she expressed confidence.
"Now I can say it openly, I have high hopes," she said. "I am sure
there's a statue waiting for A.R. Rahman [who composed the film's music
and received three nominations] to bring home."
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