India: Slumdog Millionaire, from rags to riches...

India's most hotly awaited film is an Oscar frontrunner about the aspirations of some of the world's most disadvantaged people. Slumdog Millionaire, which opened in the UK yesterday, is a modern-day fairytale about the quintessential Indian dream of getting ahead, getting out and getting rich.

To millions of slum dwellers in India, it's a familiar theme. The chances of emulating the movie's protagonist may be small, but many real-life slumdogs demonstrate a fierce optimism that they will achieve a better life, despite their dismal surroundings. More...

See also:

1. India: meet 8-year-old Aman Rehman, the world's youngest lecturer!!!
2. Is this how they make love in India? Oh boy...
3. India's terror victims, where the poor don't matter as much as the rich...
4. Hotel Taj: Icon Of Whose India ? (must-read)
5. The Broken People, Indian apartheid’s Harijans, Dalits, Untouchables...
6. In India, if you're of a lower caste, it can be dangerous holding a girl's hands...