by Michael Bialas

Created on: August 25, 2009   Last Updated: August 26, 2009

This is one of the earliest reviews of Slumdog Millionaire, which appeared at the 2008 Telluride Film Festival held over Labor Day weekend.

Film: Slumdog Millionaire, set in contemporary India, made its world premiere Aug. 30, 2008, at a sneak preview in Telluride, much to the dismay of the Toronto International Film Festival. Toronto has been trumpeting Slumdog's international debut on Sept. 7, eight days after its initial showing in Telluride.

Director: Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days Later, Shallow Grave), who told the Telluride crowd he would be heading back to London to make some adjustments on the unfinished product before taking it to its 'supposed' world premiere.

Running time: 121 minutes.

Scheduled limited release date: Nov. 28, 2008.

Genre: Drama, with comic and romantic elements.

Leading roles: Dev Patal (18-year-old Jamal Malik); Freida Pinto (Latika).

Also appearing: Madhur Mittal (Jamal's brother Salim); Anil Kapoor (TV host); Irrfan Khan (police inspector).

What's it all about? The Three Musketeers, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, the Taj Mahal and torture are all woven into a tale about an impoverished boy (Jamal) and his dreams and passions, focusing on the lovely Latika, while growing up in the slums of Mumbai. How can he survive the streets after seeing his mother murdered, his brother Salim become a gangster and his best girl headed for a life of forced prostitution? By landing a spot on India's version of the popular quiz show. Through his life experiences (told in flashbacks), Jamal is able to string together a number of answers (sample question: Who invented the revolver?) during the competition. That gets him arrested on suspicion of cheating. Will he handle their extreme interrogation tactics and be able to advance far enough to answer the final question worth 20 million rupees? And, more important, will he be reunited with the love of his life?

Get a lifeline: It's just to escape, isn't it? Walk into another way of life. Latika, when Salim wonders why Millionaire is so popular in his country.

What you might not know: The script was written by Simon Beaufoy, who earned an Oscar nomination for The Full Monty. ... Nods to Bollywood are made throughout. One of India's most popular singers and actors, Amitabh Bachchan, is the central figure in a comical flashback scene in which a young Jamal goes to great lengths (and lands in deep bleep, so to speak) to get the star's autograph. ... Kapoor, another famous Bollywood actor, plays

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