Slumdog is bookies favourite to win Oscars

With a successful run at the Golden Globe Awards, British director Danny Boyle's Mumbai-based story of an underdog, Slumdog Millionaire, has emerged as a clear favourite with bookies to win the next month's Oscars.

Bookies here put the feel-good movie starring Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan at 8/15 on to scoop the coveted Best Picture prize at the Academy Awards, well in front of rivals The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Milk, Frost/Nixon and Revolutionary Road.

The film's director Danny Boyle is also 4-6 favourite to win the best director trophy at the February 22 ceremony.

A spokesman for bookmakers Paddy power said: Slumdog Millionaire has been heavily backed for the last couple of weeks and, after its success at the Golden Globes, it looks set for Oscars glory."

The low-budget flick about an orphan from the Mumbai slums who strikes it rich on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was released in the UK on Friday.

In the US, where it was released last year, the film has already generated over $ 30 million at the box office despite being on limited release. Slumdog Millionaire currently sits at number two in the top 10 in the UK, with the highest screen average of all films on release.

The film won four prestigious Golden Globe awards for Best Picture in the Drama category, Best Director for Danny Boyle, best Screenplay for Simon Beaufoy and Best Original Score in a Motion Picture for Indian composer A R Rahman.

Based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's Q & A, the film also won five prizes at the Los Angeles Critics choice Awards last week, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best writer, Best Composer and Best Young Actor for Dev Patel.