In 2009, the acclaimed director Danny Boyle presented a globally successful film. ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, featuring Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto, was loosely based on Vikas Swarup’s 2005 novel, Q & A. The movie follows the story of Jamal (played by Dev Patel), a resident of the slums, who unexpectedly gets the chance to participate in the game show ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ (Kaun Banega Crorepati in Hindi) and ends up winning a million. Accused of cheating, Jamal recounts his life story to the police, detailing how he knew the answers to each question.
Filmed in India, the movie featured Irrfan, Saurabh Shukla, Mahesh Manjrekar, Raj Zutshi, and Anil Kapoor. In the British drama, Anil Kapoor portrayed the host of the reality game show and received acclaim for his performance. Interestingly, Anil Kapoor was not the initial selection for this role. According to reports, Danny Boyle initially aimed to cast a Bollywood superstar who had previously hosted the Indian version of the game show.
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According to media reports from 2007, Danny Boyle’s initial choice for the role of the game show host in Slumdog Millionaire was Shah Rukh Khan. SRK, who had previously taken over as the host of Kaun Banega Crorepati from Amitabh Bachchan, was in discussions to play the pivotal role in the film. However, Shah Rukh Khan turned down the offer, leading to Anil Kapoor ultimately taking on the role in the acclaimed movie.
In 2010, during an appearance on Jonathan Ross’ chat show while promoting his film My Name Is Khan, Shah Rukh Khan explained the reason for turning down Slumdog Millionaire. When asked by the host, SRK mentioned, “I was very keen that the film be made because I think that it’s a very interesting topic. I didn’t do it because the host is a little bit of a cheat, and he was a little mean, and I’d already done the show, so I felt if I do it, people will feel I do the same thing.” Despite not being a part of the film, Shah Rukh Khan acknowledged it as a great movie.
Slumdog Millionaire, released in January 2009, received widespread critical acclaim and achieved remarkable success, winning eight Oscars, seven BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globes. However, in India, the film elicited mixed responses, particularly regarding its portrayal of poverty in the country
