Slumdog Millionaire cleaned up at Sunday night’s Oscars, taking home eight Academy Awards.
Best Picture, Directing, Song, Score, Film Editing, Sound Mixing, Cinematography, and Writting (adapted screenplay).
A film made for $13 Million, a nonexistent publicity budget, no recognisable stars, subtitled in Hindi, based on a book written by a part-time writer...if there was one movie that was destined not to sweep the Oscars, surely it was "Slumdog Millionaire".
So, how did it do it?
A. The filmmakers cheated
B. They got lucky
C. It's a work of genius
D. It is written
The story of how impoverished Indian teen Jamal Malik became a contestant on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?" -- an endeavor made without prize money in mind, rather, an effort to prove his love for his friend Latika, who is an ardent fan of the show.
As the movie ends in the happy reunion of Jamal and Latika, the woman he loves, the answer is: "D. It is written".
With Sunday night's success, life imitated art in spectacular fashion.
Winner, Best Adapted Screenplay - Simon Beaufoy
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
Hi gang. Thank you very much indeed. There are certain places in the universe you never imagine standing. For me, it's the moon, the South Pole, the Miss World podium and here. It's a tremendous honor, so thank you to the Academy. I certainly wouldn't be standing here tonight without Vikas Swarup, who wrote the book, without which none of Slumdog would ever have happened. So thank you, Vikas.
Tessa Ross from Film4 who shoved the manuscript to my hand and said this is yours, you must go to India. Thank you. My parents who've always supported me throughout everything. My wife Jane, for whom repressed English writers have to write love stories 'cause they can't really say what they mean. Susan Landau and Charlotte Knight, both my manager and my agent, um, and of course, the wonderful Dev, the wonderful Latika and the cast and crew of the film who have taught me so much about India and so much about writing, so they've all sort of changed my life. And finally, um, thank you so much to Danny and Christian, the other two musketeers. Thank you very much.
Slumdog Millionaire - August, 15, 2007 draft script by Simon Beaufoy (based on the novel by Vikas Swarup) - hosted by: Fox Searchlight - in pdf format
