Hasrat -

That's a very cute last line, although you missed the point entirely, and you might want to check your Bollywood math, too. Slumdog has not been in wide release or anything close to it in the U.S., and yet, it's already made $24 million, a figure that should nearly double by the time the Oscar nominations are announced in three weeks. If recent Fox Searchlight Oscar movies are any indication, the domestic total for this film should be $80 million minimum, maybe as high as $125 million.

That's in the U.S. alone. It won't open in most international markets for several more weeks or months, including India. So your point about built-in interest around the world means nothing, because it's only playing in the U.S., Australia, Puerto Rico, and Italy. And the only reason it's getting a huge push in other countries in 2009 is because of the response it's getting here in America. I think by the time the global accounting is done, this could be a quarter-billion movie, and no film set in Mumbai has ever come close to that amount. In fact, nothing's come within about $200 million of that amount. According to Box Office India, the highest-grossing Indian film has only made the equivalent of $33 million US, and that's the adjusted total.

But considering that the film was almost relegated to a DVD-only release because the original studio that owned it went belly-up and critical response at film festivals in Toronto and Telluride helped keep it alive, and that it has no bankable stars nor a bankable director at a time when Hollywood is trotting out its entire arsenal of both, yes, I do think critics and journalists had a lot to do with getting the word out about this film.

It's getting press for the right reasons, it's winning awards, and that's what's translating into returns at the box office.