Where to watch Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Trivia & production notes

• Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy made three research trips to India and interviewed street children while developing the script, seeking to capture the energy and sense of community in the slums.
• Danny Boyle initially hesitated to direct the film because he had no interest in making a movie about Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which was produced by the production company that approached him.
• Boyle approved the project after learning that Simon Beaufoy, who wrote The Full Monty, was the screenwriter, as that 1997 film was one of his favorites.
• Loveleen Tandan, originally one of five casting directors in India, suggested translating portions of the film into Hindi and eventually became the film's co-director.
• Danny Boyle told Warner Independent's president he wanted 10% of the dialogue in Hindi, but actually translated nearly a third of the English dialogue into Hindi.
• Slumdog Millionaire was the first film to fully utilize the Silicon Imaging SI-2K digital camera, shooting in 2K resolution digital video instead of traditional film cinematography.
• Shah Rukh Khan, the host of the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, turned down the role of Prem Kumar because he was concerned about appearing as a fraudulent game show host.
• A.R. Rahman composed the soundtrack after planning it for over two months and then completing the entire score in just two weeks.
• Warner Bros. Pictures initially suggested sending Slumdog Millionaire direct to video without a theatrical US release, but later partnered with Fox Searchlight Pictures to distribute the film in theaters.
• A musical adaptation of Slumdog Millionaire was announced in November 2024, to be produced by Tony Award winner Ken Davenport with music and lyrics by A.R. Rahman.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Slumdog Millionaire, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.