Slumdog Millionaire's Freida Pinto

With seven awards and a number of other nominations at this year’s BAFTAs, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire has taken the industry by storm.

Based on the novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup, director Boyle’s adaptation follows Jamal Malik through his life’s ordeal as he struggles to explain his innocence to policemen who doubt his honesty in being able to win big money in India’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?.

Silly errors aside – the live filming of the final question, for instance – Slumdog was a film I immensely enjoyed. Rather than the mindless inspirational film some made it out to be, Slumdog Millionaire offers much more than this. Sure, there is an aspect of feel good about it – a kid from the slums does very well for himself in the end, but isn’t that the basic ideology behind WWTBAM? – but what makes the film so special, is the back story behind the quiz show, of how Jamal knew all the answers through his traumatic and, at times, terrifying upbringing in some of the worst circumstances possible.

Although I’ve yet to read Q&A, it seems that Boyle has made a few major changes from the original idea, but his version has apparently been given Swarup’s approval.

As well as seven BAFTA awards, the film – like the novel before it – has won many other prizes, including five Critics’ Choice Awards, four Golden Globes and it has been nominated for ten Academy Awards that are due to be decided at the end of the month.