Slumdog Millionaire, British filmmaker Danny Boyle8217;s movie based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup8217;s debut novel Q A, has won the People8217;s Choice Award at the just concluded Toronto International Film Festival.
Vikas Swarup on Slumdog Millionaire, the adaptation of his debut novel Q 038; A, winning the People8217;s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival
Slumdog Millionaire, British filmmaker Danny Boyle8217;s movie based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup8217;s debut novel Q 038; A, has won the People8217;s Choice Award at the just concluded Toronto International Film Festival. And in Pretoria, Swarup has a million-dollar smile 8212; his picaresque through urban India has not only wowed the audience in Canada but is also set to close the forthcoming London Film Festival. 8220;I guess everybody loves a good fable. In fact, Simon Beaufoy who adapted the novel told me that it was the element of Dickensian drama that drew him to the book in the first place,8221; says Swarup, now India8217;s deputy high commissioner to South Africa, over the telephone.
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The film, which revolves around the tale of a poor Dharavi waiter who wins the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and who has to explain how he knew the answer to each question, is set to make its debut in India in November. It has a largely Indian cast 8212; NRI Dev Patel playing the protagonist Jamal, Anil Kapoor as the quizmaster, and model Frieda Pinto and actor Irrfan Khan in other important roles. Even though Swarup has yet to see Boyle8217;s adaptation of his novel, he is convinced that the director of Trainspotting and 28 Days Later would have done justice to it. 8220;I have watched all his movies and I was certain that his own unique style will bring a completion to the craft. It was him and Simon8217;s mastery over the script that made me sign the contract in the first place. I am sure it deserves every bit of the adulation it is getting,8221; he says.
In fact, it was the involvement of Boyle and Beaufoy, who had earlier written The Full Monty, that made it easy for Swarup to accept the creative changes. 8220;In any such adaptation, you can either accept the change or reject it. I knew they had retained the framework of the novel and I saw both the first and second drafts of the script since I had the creative rights. It would have been cinematically boring to have retained all the 12 questions and answers. I trusted their creative vision and now, I am waiting to see the DVD which Danny has promised he will send,8221; he says.
Paromita Chakrabarti is Senior Associate Editor at the The Indian Express. She is a key member of the National Editorial and Opinion desk and writes on books and literature, gender discourse, workplace policies and contemporary socio-cultural trends.
Professional Profile
With a career spanning over 20 years, her work is characterized by a "deep culture" approach—examining how literature, gender, and social policy intersect with contemporary life.
Specialization: Books and publishing, gender discourse (specifically workplace dynamics), and modern socio-cultural trends.
Editorial Role: She curates the literary coverage for the paper, overseeing reviews, author profiles, and long-form features on global literary awards.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent writing highlights a blend of literary expertise and sharp social commentary:
1. Literary Coverage & Nobel/Booker Awards
"2025 Nobel Prize in Literature | Hungarian master of apocalypse" (Oct 10, 2025): An in-depth analysis of László Krasznahorkai’s win, exploring his themes of despair and grace.
"Everything you need to know about the Booker Prize 2025" (Nov 10, 2025): A comprehensive guide to the history and top contenders of the year.
"Katie Kitamura's Audition turns life into a stage" (Nov 8, 2025): A review of the novel’s exploration of self-recognition and performance.
2. Gender & Workplace Policy
"Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy: The problem isn’t periods. It’s that workplaces are built for men" (Oct 13, 2025): A viral opinion piece arguing that modern workplace patterns are calibrated to male biology, making women's rights feel like "concessions."
"Best of Both Sides: For women’s cricket, it’s 1978, not 1983" (Nov 7, 2025): A piece on how the yardstick of men's cricket cannot accurately measure the revolution in the women's game.
3. Social Trends & Childhood Crisis
"The kids are not alright: An unprecedented crisis is brewing in schools and homes" (Nov 23, 2025): Writing as the Opinions Editor, she analyzed how rising competition and digital overload are overwhelming children.
4. Author Interviews & Profiles
"Fame is another kind of loneliness: Kiran Desai on her Booker-shortlisted novel" (Sept 23, 2025): An interview regarding The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny.
"Once you’ve had a rocky and unsafe childhood, you can’t trust safety: Arundhati Roy" (Aug 30, 2025): A profile on Roy’s recent reflections on personal and political violence.
Signature Beats
Gender Lens: She frequently critiques the "borrowed terms" on which women navigate pregnancy, menstruation, and caregiving in the corporate world.
Book Reviews: Her reviews often draw parallels between literature and other media, such as comparing Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune to the series Only Murders in the Building (Oct 25, 2025). ... Read More
