Danny Boyle: Mumbai is Slumdog star
Danny Boyle has claimed the main star of Slumdog Millionaire is the city of Mumbai.
The film's director described the Indian financial capital wracked by mass poverty as extraordinary in all its extremes.
"The star of the film for me is Mumbai -- an extraordinary city with all its extremes," Danny said.
"I never thought I was writing a film about poverty," said Simon Beaufoy, who wrote the film's screenplay based on a novel by Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup. "Really, genuinely in my heart, I was writing a film about a people with a massive spirit and a determination to overcome terrible troubles."
The cast of Slumdog Millionaire is almost entirely drawn from Bollywood -- India's enormous film industry -- and from the slums of Mumbai. Nearly a third of the film is in Hindi, a change Danny said was made after filming started.
The film "came alive" with the Hindi dialogue," he said.
The Oscar nominations are due to be announced a day ahead of Slumdog's Indian premiere, but Boyle said he was not holding out any hopes. "We can't expect anything. Even if we fall over a cliff tomorrow we've done way beyond what we could have imagined."
Earlier this month, Slumdog won four Golden Globe Awards, including best drama and best director.
Danny, who directed the 1996 drug drama Trainspotting, said he would love to return to Mumbai to "make a thriller. A really dark thriller."
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