It is one of the best films I've seen this year.

I attended the SF screening where Danny Boyle participated in a follow-on Q&A. (The date also happened to coincide with his b-day, but that wasn't revealed during the Q&A.)

The film is powerful and moving, with seamless performances by all three sets of actors who portray the three lead characters (Jamal, Latika and Selim). The performances of the first three, Hindi-only speaking children are amazing and the film never falls from the heights the first trio quickly establish.

Boyle has a deep cultural and artistic appreciation for Bombay/Mumbai & Bollywood's traditions, yet he respectuflly lenses the story with a decidedly Western eye. For those who have read it, Slumdog Millionaire will bring to mind Suketa Mehta's powerful book, Maximum City - Bombay Lost and Found.

Few people would suspect that Boyle is capable of capturing and conveying so "romantic" a story as this one. Well, not every "romantic" wears his heart on his sleeve. The crushing poverty and pervasive cruelty of Bombay/Mumbai put a knife's edge on the lovestory. Boyle's seething passion as a filmmaker infuses every frame. Dev Patel and Freida Pinto step up very nicely to make you believe, too.

The cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle is amazing, both for technical innovation (hand-held, pole-mounted camera lens, connected to a dry-ice cooled MacBook as DVR, worn as a backpack) and guerrilla style (using a Canon EOS in rapid still-frame mode *inside* the Taj Mahal). Unlike the "Bourne" films, when Mantle's camera shakes with the action, you can still plainly see what's going on.

Equal kudos goes to Lovleen Tandan (co-director & India casting).

I will definitely see it again.