What Is It?  The story of an orphan (Dev Patel) from the Mumbai slums who gets the chance to play Who Wants To Be A Millionaire – but he’s not after the money; he’s hoping to somehow get hold of the girl of his dreams (Freida Pinto).

Why Did It Win?  It's feelgood, true, but has enough seriousness of purpose and darkness to convince that this is more than mere fluff. It’s also beautifully shot, taking in the brilliant colours and bright life at the dark heart of Mumbai’s slums. What’s more, a tide of support grew behind this underdog story, helped along by the genuine exuberance and likeability of the cast and crew.

Did It Deserve To Win?  It’s still close, so it’s a little hard to say, but who could argue with a film this likeable? It’s smart, it’s well written and it’s got all the energy of teeming Mumbai behind it. Still, among the great films of the year not even nominated for Best Picture were Wall-E, Waltz With Bashir, The Dark Knight, Man On Wire and Revolutionary Road, any of which could age as well as / better than Slumdog.

Worth A Look?  Oh yes.