By: Simone Castello

It’s the movie that’s still making waves on both sides of the planet for two entirely different reasons. For viewers in the west, Slumdog Millionaire came as a great surprise as it extended its stay past the Toronto International Film Festival and quickly became a topic of conversation for movie-goers across North America. Many western film critics commended director Danny Boyle’s depiction of this rags to riches tale of a Mumbai slum-dweller who, by chance, went on to win one of the world’s most famous game show prizes.
But many in India and other eastern countries are criticizing the movie’s depiction of poverty and exploitation in the country’s slums (which are occupied by millions). The movie became the focus of protests across the country, while others claimed the production team did not do well by the young child actors (two of who are actually from the Mumbai slums depicted in the movie).
Regardless of the reactions, it is apparent that this movie is receiving worldwide attention – all with a no-name cast, save for Bollywood veteran Anil Kapoor and The Namesake’s Irrfan Khan. It has already received accolades at the Golden Globes, Screen Actor’s Guild and most recently, at the Director’s Guild Awards, where Danny Boyle took the award for best director. All that’s left now are the Oscars where yes, you guessed it, the movie is nominated for 10 awards – none of which are for the actors.