Exclusive chat with cast & crew of Slumdog Millionaire
"We've
released
the
film
in
America,
it
got
released
in
the
U.K
last
week
and
now
the
holy
trinity
is
completed
this
week
by
releasing
the
film
in
India
because
probably
its
release
is
no
where
more
important
than
it's
release
in
Mumbai,
the
extraordinary
city",
said
Danny
Boyle
when
called
on
to
the
podium
by
his
producer,
Mr.
Christian
Colson.
The
media
gave
a
thunderous
applaud
to
the
award
winning
director
on
hearing
the
word
'Mumbai'.
It
was
Danny's
job
that
evening,
to
remember
every
actors
name
as
he
called
them
individually
by
giving
an
interesting
brief
about
each
one.
The
first
guy
the
director
called
was
the
screen
writer
who
adapted
Vikas
Swaroop's
novel
'Q
and
A'
and
transformed
it
into
this
magnificent
film,
Mr.
Simon
Beaufoy.
Then
he
calls
his
three
musketeers,
the
three
guys
who
handled
the
entire
production
of
the
film.
Next
up
on
the
stage
was
the
casting
director,
Miss
Loveleen
Tandon
who
helped
an
outsider
like
Danny
rope
in
the
best
talent
available
in
India.
A.R.Rahman was in Chennai and was unable to attend, but Danny confirmed his attendance at the Thursday's red carpet premiere. Next, the director got down to some serious business by introducing the actors of Slumdog Millionaire. The only actor Boyle knew very well before he came down to Mumbai was Irrfan Khan through the work of Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay and The Namesake. He also mentioned Irrfan's pairing with Tabu was the talk of the town in the U.S for the level of performance both had given. Strangely, Danny Boyle, in the very same hotel where the press conference was held, J.W. Marriot, met one of the legends of Bollywood cinema, Anil Kapoor. He had previously seen Kapoor's work in Mr.India and Taal by which he was impressed. But also humorously added that Anil was so helpful to the extras sitting in the audience of the game show that he turned as a part time director. The last two people, the two most important people on whom the film revolves came up on the stage - Freida Pinto and Dev Patel. Danny saw Freida first on the auditioned tapes sent by Loveleen.
The director said, "She has dealt with the attention that's been caught on to the film with a grace that equals her beauty". Finally it was the turn of the reel 'Millionaire' soon to be the real one with the way the film's performing worldwide - Dev Patel. Danny Boyle briefs us an interesting story on how this young talent is turning into a recognizable figure all over the world. "Yesterday, me, Christian and Dev turned up at the Heathrow Airport. We were flying by British Airways and the airlines had upgraded us to the first class. They did this because of Dev who has now become the public face of the film", said the overjoyed Danny Boyle.
But before we bring you the excerpts, in the middle of the conference, an announcement was made. A surprise was waiting for all of us. Some speculated it could well have been A.R.Rahman but they were the 4 cute boys and 2 cute girls who play the little Dev and little Freida were welcomed with a standing ovation. As Danny said way before he started his speech, "The real heroes are always the ones forgotten. Today we remember them in the form of six special boys and girls from Mumbai who've contributed to Slumdog Millionaire immensely."
Can
we
just
ask
you
how
are
you
feeling
about
the
prospect
of
an
Oscar
nomination
on
Thursday,
22
January?
Danny
Boyle:
The
most
important
thing
for
us
is
to
be
here
right
now
in
Mumbai.
We
are
also
very
happy
about
our
Golden
Globe
Awards
achievements.
You
can't
really
expect
anything.
Tomorrow
you
may
get
knocked
down
by
a
bus
which
is
not
a
very
healthy
feeling
(laughs)
because
it
can
all
end
like
that.
But
we
have
been
really
fortunate
to
be
where
we
are
and
to
be
in
front
of
the
Mumbai
media
is
an
achievement
in
itself!
We
have
travelled
a
full
circle
and
it
ends
where
it
all
began.
There
has
been
a
little
bit
of
criticism
here
by
India's
number
one
movie
star,
Mr.
Amitabh
Bachchan.
Could
you
please
clear
the
air
on
that?
Danny
Boyle:
Ironically,
we
have
benefited
from
the
great
stature
of
Amitabh
Bachchan.
Americans
have
loved
the
scene
where
the
little
Jamal
somehow
manages
to
get
through
anything
to
get
the
autograph
of
his
great
hero
Amitabh
Bachchan.
We've
tried
to
include
as
much
of
the
city
of
Mumbai
in
the
film
as
possible.
The
thing
I
wanted
my
audience
to
take
away
from
the
film
was
this
breathtaking
resilience
of
people
and
the
joy
of
people
despite
their
circumstances.
We've
had
the
privilege
of
making
the
film
and
presenting
it
to
the
world
and
everyone
has
the
same
privilege
of
saying
what
they
want
about
it.
That's
one
of
the
things
you
learn
as
a
filmmaker
to
accept
criticism.
Don't
you
think
the
film
tried
too
hard
to
concentrate
on
the
poverty
in
India?
Danny
Boyle:
We
tried
to
cram
in
as
much
of
the
city
as
we
could
as
we
found
it
really,
both
in
terms
of
some
factual
stuff
and
imaginative
leaps
because
it
is
a
movie
and
not
a
documentary.
Any
picture
of
this
city
will
be
imperfect
because
it's
much
beyond
the
city,
nobody
can
capture
it.
The
city
was
the
same
but
it
was
always
changing
and
it's
impossible
to
define
Mumbai
but
land
up
benefiting
from
it.
Do
you
think
the
movie
has
created
so
much
hype
in
India
only
for
the
reason
that
it
has
worked
in
the
U.S
and
the
U.K?
Danny
Boyle:
The
truth
is
that
the
world
is
changing
very
fast.
It
is
quite
clear
and
I
don't
want
to
sound
too
pompous,
but
this
world
has
clearly
become
Asia
centric
just
like
the
way
the
last
century
belonged
to
the
Americans.
We
work
in
Hollywood
and
in
the
U.K
film
industry
and
now
in
Bollywood.
It's
an
achievement.
In
no
time
you
will
be
seeing
more
and
more
of
these
actors
and
their
peer
groups
in
both
industries.
Additionally,
Slumdog
Millionaire
is
a
universal
story.
The
reason
it
works
is
because
the
film
signifies
the
relevance
of
one
coming
from
nowhere
with
a
dream
and
how
he
eventually
gets
there
somehow.
Would
you
again
come
to
Mumbai
to
make
a
film?
Danny
Boyle:
I'd
love
to
do
another
film
here.
I'd
love
to
do
a
thriller
here,
seriously.
All
the
time
I've
spent
in
Mumbai
makes
me
think
what
a
city
this
is...a
perfect
place
to
make
a
thriller
story.
It's
got
so
many
ingredients.
Mumbai
isn't
a
twenty
four
hour
city
and
you
can
see
the
hustle
bustle
going
around.
I'd
love
to
come
back
sometime
and
I'm
keeping
my
fingers
crossed.
There
were
talks
three
months
ago
that
the
film
would
directly
release
on
the
DVD.
We
are
here
three
months
later
with
awards,
applauds,
commercial
success
and
more.
Brief
us
how
the
journey
has
been.
Danny
Boyle:
You
are
right.
At
one
point
we
lost
our
North
American
distributor
because
they
closed
their
company
'Warner
Independent' down,
and
we
thought
then
that
we
could
end
up
on
a
DVD.
We
actually
got
picked
up
by
Fox
Searchlight,
which
is
an
extraordinary
company.
They
are
the
reason
we
are
in
the
awards
season
because
they
recognize
the
value
of
the
film
and
they
forced
it
to
come
out
very
quickly
so
we
could
take
it
to
the
Toronto
Film
Festival.
Although
the
film
includes
the
idea
of
destiny,
in
the
West,
and
for
us,
it's
kind
of
a
charming
idea
but
being
here
in
India
you
learn
to
appreciate
something
that
you
cannot
rationally
define
and
understand
which
clearly
applies,
and
it
has
applied
to
our
film
-
the
fate
of
our
film.
How
has
the
film
fared
in
the
U.S
and
the
U.K?
Have
you
got
any
figures?
Christian
Colson:
The
film
has
opened
at
number
2
in
the
U.K
last
weekend
and
the
latest
reports
since
yesterday
have
shown
that
we
have
gone
up
to
number
1
now
in
the
U.K.
That
is
a
very
rare
occurrence
for
a
Danny
Boyle
film.
It
has
grossed
as
of
now
GBP
4
million
in
the
U.K
and
around
$40
million
in
the
U.S
in
terms
of
ticket
sales.
What's the release plan in India? Christian Colson: The film has an over-whelming response. We are going to be releasing the film in Hindi titled Slumdog Crorepati because we believe that the fundamental story is something that will appeal to all Bollywood lovers. We are going to release the film in all the metros and smaller towns, say around 85 cities with 400 prints.
Is
it
true
that
a
special
fund
was
set
up
for
the
slum
children
in
Mumbai?
Christian
Colson:
Yes
we
did.
The
distributors
and
the
financers
are
very
generous
in
making
some
money
available
for
the
slum
children
for
their
long
term
welfare
after
we
packed
up
and
finished
our
shoot
for
the
film.
What
made
you
zero
in
on
A.R.Rahman
and
how
did
his
music
carry
the
film
forward?
Danny
Boyle:
I
had
the
privilege
of
working
with
that
man
'A.R.Rahman'!
I've
been
travelling
the
U.S
and
the
U.K
and
telling
people
how
famous
this
man
is.
He
has
a
tiny
little
studio
in
Tufnell
Park
in
London.
We
go
out
in
lunch
time
to
get
a
break
from
the
music.
We
are
walking
along
the
road
and
somebody
would
spot
him,
ignore
the
traffic,
come
near
him
and
tell
him
-
"Is
that
you?
Are
you
A.R.Rahman?" The
joy
of
people
here
in
music
is
something
I
love
more
than
anything.
I
used
to
have
a
driver
named
Harish
who
didn't
speak
much
English
but
used
to
play
all
the
Hindi
songs
in
my
car.
It
was
him
who
introduced
me
to
all
the
Bollywood
songs.
Slumdog
Millionaire
is
a
very
small
film
but
because
of
A.R.Rahman,
Anil
Kapoor
and
Irrfan
Khan,
the
film
boasts
of
a
biggie.
A.R
created
this
fusion
of
hip-hop,
disco,
RnB
and
the
world
music
which
was
phenomenal.
One
of
the
biggest
buzzes
for
me
was
that
last
week,
his
album
went
to
number
1
in
the
iTunes
album
chart.
That's
not
the
soundtrack
chart,
it's
an
album
chart.
Normally,
you'd
find
Beyonce
and
Rihana
to
be
there.
A.R.Rahman
was
up
there,
could
you
believe
it?
I'd
also
like
to
thank
Shekhar
Kapoor
for
his
contribution
towards
the
film.
People
really
have
this
strong
vision
and
belief
in
a
field
that
is
so
collaborative
that
you
don't
always
have
a
control
on.
Did
you
at
some
point
lose
that
vision
and
control?
Danny
Boyle:
I
think
I
learnt
as
a
director
how
much
you
can
let
the
film
go
and
benefit
from
letting
it
go,
certainly
in
terms
of
the
streets
and
the
way
we
filmed
on
the
streets.
I
had
to
pay
tribute
to
my
first
assistant
director
who
taught
me
how
to
work
here
technically
and
he
would
often
frustrate
the
western
crew
because
they
expected
him
to
behave
in
the
way
the
first
assistant
director
normally
behaves.
He
knew
much
more
importantly
that
the
film
was
going
to
be
as
I
wanted
it
to
be
and
he
had
to
work
on
the
streets
like
he
knew
it
inside
out,
which
I'm
sure
he
did.
You
lose
things
like
continuity,
repetition
and
minute
control
but
what
you
get
instead
is
this
pulsating
energy
that
runs
through
the
Mumbai
city.
I
also
learnt
from
Loveleen
the
ability
to
listen
to
people
who
knew
more
than
you
about
casting
and
culture.
I
also
benefited
a
lot
from
Resul
Pookutty,
the
sound
guy.
I
gained
by
giving
all
these
people
some
vision
and
control.
What
was
the
most
difficult
thing
about
filming
such
a
film?
Danny
Boyle:
We
shouldn't
think
that
the
film
is
a
challenge.
We
should
think
that
the
film
is
an
opportunity.
The
most
terrifying
bit
was
the
kids,
the
seven
year
olds
running
besides
the
railway
tracks
with
the
trains.
If
they
fall,
you
start
thinking
-
What
the
hell
am
I
doing
here?
But
the
tribute
here
has
to
go
to
our
stunt
master,
Shyam.
He
made
sure
that
no
danger
came
to
them
at
all.
Their
faith
in
him
was
absolute
complete
and
that
was
the
most
terrifying
thing
for
me
as
a
parent.
Do
you
feel
lucky
that
Bollywood
has
welcomed
you
with
open
arms?
Danny
Boyle:
I
have
always
been
hugely
welcomed
by
the
industry
here.
We
wrote
to
Amitabh
Bachchan
to
take
his
permission
to
use
his
name
in
the
film.
We
were
sure
that
we
would
only
be
able
to
glimpse
him
ever
so
slightly
and
I
always
thought
that
he
would
be
the
wrong
host
for
the
game
show
in
the
film.
We
were
also
invited
to
see
the
recording
of
the
show
with
SRK.
He
was
very
gracious
and
we
had
lunch
with
him
too.
But
the
actors
in
India
are
so
busy
that
it's
impossible
to
tie
them
down.
At
one
point
it
became
impossible
to
do
the
film
without
them.
Then
one
day,
Loveleen
told
me
that
Anil
Kapoor
was
available
and
I
should
meet
him,
and
it
was
this
very
hotel,
JW
Marriott
in
Juhu,
where
I
met
him
in
the
lobby.
I
am
proud
of
these
actors
here
in
Bollywood
who've
welcomed
me.
What
do
you
have
to
say
about
the
quote
from
Mr.
Bachchan
who
thinks
that
the
film
is
highlighting
too
much
poverty?
Anil
Kapoor:
I
just
want
to
say
that
I
don't
agree
with
Mr.
Bachchan
and
what
he
thinks.
I
respect
the
right
to
ones
individual
opinion
because
that's
what
democracy
is.
Irrfan
Khan:
It's
a
story
about
human
spirit.
Poverty
is
just
a
backdrop.
Even
the
book
has
the
same
backdrop
of
slums.
But
I
sometimes
don't
understand
why
we
think
that
India
is
not
poor.
Why
don't
we
accept
the
fact
that
there
is
a
bit
of
poverty
in
our
country?
Let's
not
hide
away
from
it.
If
we
incorporate
it
into
our
story,
then
what's
the
big
fuss
anyway?
Is Bollywood knocking on your door and how did you manage to keep up to dancing in the film? Dev Patel: We, in the West, all think, that Bollywood is just about pretty faces but I understood that there is much more to it than just being pretty. They are so talented. If I was given to do a film here in Mumbai, I'd do it. By the way, I am a very bad dancer (laughs).