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The world is talking about it. The critics are raving by it. And the Oscar award jury 2008 has set its eyes on it.

Danny Boyle’s movie Slumdog Millionaire has been sweeping away a lot of awards this season. And putting India in the spotlight with its heartbreaking yet exhilarating tale of an orphan who rises from rags to riches on the strength of his lively intelligence.

Just like the city Mumbai in which this story is set, the movie brims and overflows at a breathless pace telling the story of Jamal, a poor, bright-eyed, mischievous youth and his even more boisterous older brother, Salim. In a horrifying turn of events, the two youngsters’ lives change in front of their eyes when their mother is killed during a riot. Alone, they turn to the streets, becoming “slumdogs.? A ray of sunshine comes into their lives when they befriend another orphan, the feisty young girl Latika, and soon the three are inseparable. Adventure follows as the trio strives to survive the cutthroat life of contemporary India. But do they last together?

Years later we see Jamal appearing on India’s version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Amazingly, he finds himself winning more and more prize money as he answers the questions tumbling his way. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees, but when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating. How could a street kid know so much? How can a “slumdog? with no formal education know the answers to these questions? As suspicions are raised, Jamal realizes that this game show will be the biggest test of his life.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of Jamal’s increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show’s seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery – what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show?

Slumdog Millionaire comes across as a very special movie for two unique treatments – one its ability to radiate hope even in the bleakest of moment. No matter how wretched Jamal’s situations, hope at all times is just a frame away. It flits into view throughout, buoyantly and luminously, and deftly threads its way though the narrative, never letting the viewer forget that it is still there.

The other brilliant aspect of Boyle’s direction is his ability to portray the two sides of India as it exists today. There is an India of Mother Teresa as the world knows it. People living in the streets. Men relieving themselves by the roadside. Children fighting greedily over leftovers. An India of pollution, poverty, corruption and crime. And on the other hand, is an India with the world’s largest middle class. An India of opulent “Monsoon Weddings?. C-class Mercedes Benz Exploding education. Booming IT segment. And a Bollywood to rival Hollywood. Boyle’s film smoothly bridges these two India’s by cutting between a world of poverty and the Indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

The movie combines rich narrative, brilliant cast, excellent cinematography, raw energy and masterfully weaved in multiple storylines to create a cinematic rollercoaster ride that will thrill and blow you away.

No wonder it has created history by getting nominated into the 81st Academy Awards this year in 10 different categories. With virtually no known faces, this movie has brought out some astounding performances and if it does win at the Oscars, it would really be a case of rags to riches story coming true!

Watching out fingers crossed!

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