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Rahman at the Oscar Luncheon, Shilpa with her beau and business partner, Amitabh Bachchan and more.

Almost There: Rahman's embroidered blue sherwani is majestic and classy, exactly what the red carpet requires. We can hardly wait for the Oscar!

Batwoman: Shilpa looks like a million bucks in this body hugging navy blue mini with peep toes. And that expression is so naughty!

Perfect Jodi: Shilpa and Raj Kundar who have bought a 12% stake in Rajasthan Royals are all set to bat

Net Savvy: Lara Dutta launches her own website and has a new short hairdo to go with it

Naachne-wala: Much can't be said about his acting but Harman sure loves to dance. He is seen here at the Sri-Lanka premiere of Victory. But, whoever danced at premieres? How desperate!

Fit and Fat: At 66, Amitabh is fit and lean enough to play golf. Madhavan, half his age is so fat that he is just watching the superstar play!

More honours for Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Boyle's acclaimed film "Slumdog Millionaire" has taken home two more major US film industry awards over the weekend, winning the top prizes from both the Screen Actors Guild and the Producers Guild of America.

Bollywood stars Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan, British Indian actor Dev Patel, and newcomer Freida Pinto received the overall cast prize for the Mumbai-set rags-to-riches saga at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday (January 25) night from Anthony Hopkins.

Anil Kapoor, accepting on behalf of the "Slumdog Millionaire" cast, dedicated the award to the slum children shown in the movie.

"They deserve this award. They set our performances," he said. "It's the children who've done it, not us."

The Oscar-nominated film tells the heart-warming story a young man from the slums of Mumbai who risks all for love and for a shot at instant wealth as a contestant on the Indian version of the TV game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".

Patel, who plays the protagonist, and Pinto, his ladylove, introduced the film clip at the event.

"Slumdog Millionaire" also won the top prize from the Producers Guild of America on Saturday (January 24), giving it another boost in the race for the Oscars next month.

The top award from the Producers Guild of America or PGA goes to the movie's producer, in this case Christian Colson, whose previous feature credits consist of three relatively obscure thrillers.

Meanwhile, following its 10 Oscar nominations and expansion into more theatres, "Slumdog Millionaire" has jumped into the North American Top Five for the first time in its 11-week run with its weekend gross soaring by 80 percent to $10.55 million.

Now running in 1,411 theatres across America, up 829 from last weekend, the film has to date grossed a total of $55.92 million, according to the movie website boxofficeguru.com.

The Producers Guild award is considered an important bellwether for Oscar success as its members make up an important constituency of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which votes on the Oscars.

In its first 19 years, 12 of the PGA's top film picks went on to win the Academy Award for best picture, including last year's champion "No Country for Old Men" although the producers missed the mark for three straight years starting in 2005.

Premiere of 'Slumdog Millionaire' - Video

Slumdog bags 10 Oscar Nominations, Rahman 3

As expected, Slumdog Millionaire has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards at the 81st Academy Awards. Rahman has bagged 3 nominations for his compositions in the film.

A. R. Rahman is nominated for Best Original Score category where he competes with Danny Elfman (Milk), James Newton Howard (Defiance), Thomas Newton (Wall E) and Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). And in the Best Song category, Rahman has been nominated not once but twice in the same category.

Director Danny Boyle is up against David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Gus Van Sant (Milk), Stephen Daldry (The Reader) and Ron Howard (Frost/ Nixon) in the fight for Best Director.

In the Best Picture category, Slumdog Millionaire is up against The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Milk, Frost/Nixon and The Reader

Simon Beaufoy's adapted screenplay is up against those of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Doubt and The Reader

Disappointingly Slumdog hasn't been nominated in any of the acting categories. But Dev Patel who plays Slumdog Jamal Malik is ecstatic. He says "Now that we have been nominated, I am sure we will win also. But every year so many good films are released and so I can just cross my fingers. Actually if Slumdog Millionaire has to win an Oscar then I think it should go to our directors Danny (Boyle) and Loveleen (Tandon) because Loveleen has only taught us about the culture."

Here is a list of all the categories Slumdog Millionaire has been nominated in:
Best Picture
Best Sound Mixing
Best Film Editing
Best Sound Editing
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Director
Best Original Score
Best Song: Jai Ho
Best Song: O Saya

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - Movie Review

By Taran Adarsh

First things first! SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE deserves all the accolades and awards that it has been receiving of late and will continue receiving in the future. Also, in this writer's individualistic opinion, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE doesn't make a mockery or an attempt to sell the poverty of India to the West.

Sure, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE depicts life on the mean streets of Mumbai, so what? Doesn't it exist? Should we ridicule the effort it just because a gora has made it? We don't raise a noise when Indian film-makers do so, so why now? Double standards!

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is, at heart, a love story and director Danny Boyle treats it like a Bollywood film. In fact, the screen writing [Simon Beaufoy] is so smart, so energetic [he must be a big fan of Bollywood] that everything is spoon-fed to the viewer, unlike most international films.

Sure, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is dark and gory at places, but at the end of it all, it offers a ray of hope for those who've been plain unlucky when it comes to the materialistic things of life and most importantly, love.

So what's the final word? Jai Ho!

Accused of cheating and desperate to prove his innocence, an eighteen-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai reflects back on his tumultuous life while competing to win the prized money on India's 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'.

Jamal [Dev Patel] may not have a penny to his name, but that could all change in a matter of hours. He's one question away from taking the top prize on India's most popular television game show, but as with everything else in Jamal's life, it isn't going to be easy.

Arrested by police under suspicion of cheating, Jamal is interrogated by the authorities. The police simply can't believe that Jamal could possibly possess the knowledge to get this far in the game, and in order to convince them of how he gained such knowledge, Jamal begins reflecting back on his childhood.

As young boys, Jamal and his older brother Salim lived in squalor and lost their mother in a mob attack on Muslims. Subsequently forced to rely on their own wits to survive, the desperate siblings fell back on petty crime, eventually befriending adorable yet feisty young Latika as they sought out food and shelter on the unforgiving streets of Mumbai.

Though life on the streets was never easy, Jamal's experiences ultimately instilled in him the knowledge he needed to answer the tough questions posed to him on the show.

Danny Boyle and screenplay writer Simon Beaufoy join hands to create one of the most engaging rags-to-riches story of a boy raised in the slums of Mumbai. A few scenes may put you off completely, but if you're a Mumbaite, you must've surely encountered such characters on the back of your street.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE keeps you hooked, there's not a single dull moment and most importantly, your heart pines for the lovers [Jamal and Latika] to unite, after all that they've gone through in life. That's one of the prime reasons why SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE works big time.

If Boyle's direction and Beaufoy's screen writing works, so does A.R. Rahman's exuberant musical score. The background score is eclectic, while the song 'Jai Ho' [at the conclusion of the film] is mesmeric. The camera [Anthony Dod Mantle] captures the streets of the metropolis remarkably. Note the chase at the very start, with a constable chasing the young Salim and Jamal in the slums. Brilliant!

Dev Patel is top notch, while Anil Kapoor is highly competent. Freida Pinto does very well. Irrfan Khan gives his individualistic style to his role. Mahesh Manjrekar and Saurabh Shukla are first-rate. Madhur Mittal [older Salim] is alright. Ankur Vikal spells terror. Special mention must be made of the young actors in the film; they are such fine actors. Especially the young Salim and Jamal.

On the whole, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is a must-see! One of the finest films of our times, this one should not be missed for any reason.

Rahman returns home after winning Golden Globe

Music maestro A.R. Rahman returned home to a hearty welcome after winning the Golden Globe for the best score for Danny Boyle's critically acclaimed “Slumdog Millionaire”.

“I am very happy to win the Golden Globe and would like to share it with all Indians and Tamils,” said an elated Rahman after being thronged by a joyous crowd at the Chennai airport. He added: “The movie is about optimism and hope and that's all we need.”

Asked what was on his agenda, he said: “Next what I'd like to do is finish up all the pending work.”

Based on the novel “Q&A” written by Vikas Swarup, the film has been widely appreciated and is releasing on January 23 in India.

The film won four Golden Globes including Best Motion Picture-Drama, Best Director award for British director Danny Boyle and Best Writer award for Simon Beaufoy.

Industry reacts on Rahman being the first Indian to win a Golden Globe Award

Mira Nair: "The most innocent and lovely image on American television in years was the sight of our beloved A.R. Rahman on tiptoe hugging a loved one before he got the Golden Globe. How wonderful to see this rush of talent being recognized. Go, Slumdog!"

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: "This is absolutely fantastic news. Superb in the superlative. Heartiest congratulations to him. He's truly blessed. An incredible talent, a wonderful soul and has always been and will be the pride of our country."

Pritam Chakraborty: "Wow ...I was kind of expecting this. Congratulations to him. It's a proud moment for any Indian especially the music fraternity. I pray that it's just the beginning for him."

Amitabh Bachchan: "Congratulations. A reward most deserving."

Abhishek Bachchan: "What a glorious moment for him. He continues to make us proud. I'm very lucky to have worked with him in Yuva, Guru and Delhi 6. My congratulations to him."

Gulzar: "It's the horse that has won the race. The one riding the horse was Rahman. My lyrics for 'Jai Ho' were just the lagaam for the horse. Rahman has always been a clutter-breaker. He broke the antara-mukhda-antara (stanza-intro-stanza) mould in Hindi film songs. Now he has broken into the international arena. I'm working with him on the new Mani Ratnam project Raavan. As always it's a pleasure. All I can say for Rahman is, Jai Ho."

Bappi Lahiri: "It's a great honour for Bollywood. We're all proud of A R Rahman. God bless him."

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra: "I guess on the way to the Oscars he has picked up a Golden Globe. The best thing about his music in Slumdog Millionaire (SD) is that his work in the film is so revolutionary and potent, that he made the jury's job easier. God bless Rahman for bringing India back on the cultural world-map. This will pave the way for bigger things from him and from our country."

Javed Akhtar: "I'm thrilled happy and proud, but not at all surprised. It's inevitable for a genius like Rahman to get international acclaim."

Shekhar Ravjiani: "A. R. Rahman is a genius. The music of SM is outstanding. It deserves every award on this planet. I'm extremely happy for him."

Udit Narayan: "I've had the singular pleasure of working with A. R. Rahman many times. In fact I had sung for the last India-based film Lagaan that had his music. He's a fine human being and composer. I always say good things happen to good people. This honour that he has brought to the country proves it. Today when I have cut down on my singing I realize he's one of the composers I'd want to sing for even if I stopped singing."

Ashutosh Gowarikar: "In one word he is fan-tas-tic! He's a trailblazer. I'm so very proud of him, too thrilled! And his speech at the Golden Globe ceremonies was superb, short and sweet full of gratitude for his fans. Wow! I'll exhale only when I meet him."

Sunidhi Chauhan: "When I heard Rahman saab had won a Golden Globe it didn't register for a while. It took me time to understand what he has done. I'm too, too happy to say anything. I haven't sung too many songs from him. Recently, I sang a Hindi song for him in an English-language film. Singing an A.R Rahman composition is a privilege. I'm glad the West is realizing his worth."

Shreya Ghoshal: "I'm extremely happy and thrilled to hear this. It's a huge achievement. I'm very proud of Rahman sir. This is just the beginning for him."

Anu Malik: "I'm not surprised. Such talent comes once in a lifetime. I'm in London and I caught the film and its music. It's terrific. A great day for our great country. A R Rahman is a genius. I'm sure he's going to get an Oscar now. I salute A R Rahman. Mark my words. Next month Rahman will also get the Oscar for SM. It is brilliant. I'm so happy for him. With the Oscar coming to Rahman the Indian music industry would've come a long way."

Farhan Akhtar: "I'm very happy for him. The recognition is truly deserved. Congratulations to Rahman and Danny Boyle."

Vishal Bhardwaj: "Things just won't stop here for Rahman. The genius shall now bring an Oscar for us. Insha Allah."

Aditya Narayan: "It's incredible! He's the first Indian artiste to be working internationally at such a high level. I've had the pleasure of singing for him when I was a child in Taal. Of course now everyone will say he had it in him. Here's one artiste who just does his work, and wastes no time in publicity gimmicks. I think India is just getting ready for international recognition."



Bipasha Basu: "He's an absolute genius. He deserves every award. And the applause he's getting globally is richly deserved. I feel immense pride."

Anand Raj Anand: "He deserves it. He's the only music director who got opportunities to work in terrific banners and super-talented directors. I wish him many many more achievements."

Sameer Anjaan: "It's a proud moment for every Indian. I'm lucky to have worked with him. He deserves much more."

Aadesh Shrivastava: "Bahut garv hota hai apne desh ke prati. Jai Hind."

Himesh Reshammiya: "He deserves it. He's my favourite."

Ameesha: "Rahman is a modern-day Mozart. A complete genius. I wish him the Oscar next."

Kunal Ganjawala: "This is just the beginning of many more international awards to come for Rahman."

KK (singer): "He deserves it. Glad he brought it for us. He's someone who understands music and what it does for our soul. Truly Indian too. God bless him .This is just the beginning."

Irrfan Khan: "Rahman ki jai ho aur aage Indian cinema ki bhi jai ho. I'm part of SM and meri bhi jai ho."