'Slumdog Millionaire' quiz answer may be wrong

Slumdog runs into controversy over song credit-India-The Times of India

The odds are in its favour at the Oscars to be announced on February 22, but Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire also has a raging controversy dogging it.

The song 'Darshan Do Ghanshyam Nath Mori' sung by a blind beggar in the film is credited to 15th century poet Surdas on the show, Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. But, according to N S Nepali, the son of late poet-lyricist Gopal Singh Nepali, the original song was written by his father for the 1957 film Narsi Bhagat.

Nepali, who saw Slumdog at a theatre in Mumbai a few days ago, says he is distraught at the makers of Slumdog for "overlooking this fact". "Even in the options to the question 'Who wrote the song 'Darshan do", the film shows the names: Surdas, Tulsidas, Mirabai or Kabir," says Nepali. "They have not given my father's name as one of the options. I'm devastated."

Nepali says his father, who was one of the renowned poets of the 50s, died in 1964. "And it is great disservice to his name that he misses out on the credit for a song that he and music director Ravi made famous."

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire: The Reality Series?

Who Wants to Be a Real Slumdog Millionaire? - Yahoo! News

Slumdog Millionaire could be looking to share the wealth.

The producers of the recent U.K.-U.S. transplant Secret Millionaire are looking to capitalize on the Oscar hopeful's international success with Secret Slumdog Millionaire, a spinoff reality series, according to British media reports.

In the American version of the show, which premiered on Fox in December, quantifiably rich people go undercover in economically deprived neighborhoods, get acquainted with members of the community and and ultimately hand out $100,000 at the end of each episode.

Slumdog Millionaire

'Slumdog' not faring very well in India due to piracy, title

India kicks Slumdog Millionaire to the kerb - Entertainment news, gossip & music, movie & book reviews on Stuff.co.nz

For all the attention in Hollywood, Slumdog Millionaire has failed to set the box office alight in India where it is set, with piracy, anger over its portrayal of poverty and its controversial title taking a toll.

The Oscar-nominated film about the life of a street boy who wins a fortune on a quiz show appealed to multiplex audiences with its portrayal of hope amid poverty but left viewers in small towns unimpressed.

A debate over the film's portrayal of India, where millions still live in the squalor depicted in Slumdog Millionaire," hasn't helped either.

"The film was slow in picking up but by Monday was seeing 65-75 percent occupancy in multiplexes," said trade analyst Komal Nahta.

"From Tuesday the collections have slowed again."

Slumdog, shot largely in the slums of Mumbai, received mixed reviews, with some panning it for reinforcing Western stereotypes about India.

Police in the eastern state of Bihar tightened security after slum dwellers objecting to the word "dog" attacked a cinema hall screening Slumdog Millionaire in its main city.

In small towns and semi-urban areas, the film is not doing well despite the huge publicity and a dubbed Hindi version.

"There was a problem with the title itself. Slumdog is not a familiar word for majority Indians," Nahta said.

Another trade analyst, Amod Mehra, said the film had also been hit by the lack of a recognisable Bollywood face. Actor Anil Kapoor, who plays the gameshow host, is cast in a negative role.

"The film ... is not ideally suited for Indian sentiment," Mehra said.

Fox Star Studios, which released the film in India, said it grossed 135 million rupees (NZ$5.4 million) over the weekend. It said Slumdog had been hit by piracy.

"I have to admit that the film was affected by piracy. A lot of people had already watched it," Vijay Singh, CEO of Fox Star Studios, said.

But Singh said the film, playing in 350 screens across India, could benefit from word-of-mouth publicity.

Some cinema owners were not so hopeful.

"To hear slum boys speaking perfect English doesn't seem right but when they are speaking in Hindi, the film seems much more believable," said Shunali Shroff of Fame Cinemas, a movie theatre chain across India.

"Everything said and done, this is a niche film and we don't expect it to do well in smaller non-urban centres."

"Slumdog Crorepati," the Hindi-language version of the film, did better in India than the original English version and Fox Star Studios said more prints in Hindi would be released.

Slumdog Millionaire

Bollyw Star Bachchan denies Slumdog criticism

Amitabh Bachchan

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Bachchan denies Slumdog criticism

Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan has denied criticising award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

The actor says opinions posted on his blog criticising the film for projecting India as the "third world dirty underbelly", were made by others.

He says he merely put up the comments, which he did not attribute, to start a debate and is anguished that they have been construed to be his.

Mr Bachchan is India's best-known actor and has a massive fan following.

Slumdog Millionaire

At Sundance, ‘Slumdog’ Casts a Long Shadow

At Sundance, ‘Slumdog’ Casts a Long Shadow - NYTimes.com

This year’s award-circuit darling, “Slumdog Millionaire,” may not be a Sundance movie in the clinical sense, but in terms of aesthetic and appeal it hits all the buttons with its innovative shooting style, a cast of nobodies and a backdrop in India. Audiences who are now walking past all manner of studio fare and lining up for this film could not be blamed for wondering, “Why aren’t there more movies like this?”

The 'Slumdog' Effect on Hollywood

With the recent success of Slumdog Millionaire, Bollywood's influence on the American film industry is in full effect.

"Slumdog" too real for Indian film fans?

"Slumdog" too real for Indian film fans - Yahoo! News

"Slumdog Millionaire" swept the Golden Globes and is generating Oscar buzz, but the film may not be as warmly received in India where it was shot and where millions live in the squalor depicted in the movie.

The film, which will be released in India next week in about 300 cinemas, won four awards at the Golden Globe awards Sunday, including one for Indian music composer AR Rahman for best original score.

The win sparked a frenzy in the Indian media, which hailed Rahman as a genius, and predicted an Oscar win for the 43-year-old.

Younger Slumdog cast comment on their roles

Mumbai kids in Slumdog Millionaire cast -Mumbai-Cities-The Times of India

MUMBAI: "Are you shooting with the Oscars in mind?'' When young Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala asked this of Danny Boyle, all he got was a smile.
Perhaps the director was superstitious of jinxing it. Now, he would be more forthcoming.

Six delirious Mumbai children are part of the Slumdog Millionaire cast. Two of them, who live in the slums, will meet the media only when the film releases in India. The rest-Ashutosh, Tanai Chheda (who plays protagonist Jamal Malik) and Tanvi Lonkar (the heroine, Latika)-are studio hopping.

The kids were in class when the news broke. When they emerged, their world had changed. Ashutosh, 14, in the midst of his Class X prelims, found his mother waiting to take him to television studios. "Good evening, or is it good afternoon,'' he said to TOI. "I'm so disoriented I cannot even remember which paper I appeared for and which one is coming up tomorrow.''

Slumdog Director comments on film's Oscar chances

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'Slumdog' hits the jackpot at the Golden Globes

'Slumdog' hits the jackpot at the Golden Globes - Yahoo! News

Heath Ledger was honored with a Golden Globe, and Kate Winslet came away with two. But the top dog was "Slumdog Millionaire," the Bollywood fantasy that took four awards, including best drama.

With its awards Sunday, "Slumdog Millionaire" emerged as the potential film to beat at the Academy Awards, an unexpected position for a movie with a cast of unknowns and a story set among orphans and criminals on the streets of Mumbai.