The film, which revolves around the tale of a poor Dharavi waiter who wins the Indian version of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' and who has to explain how he knew the answer to each question, is set to make its debut in India in November. It has a largely Indian cast — NRI Dev Patel playing the protagonist Jamal, Anil Kapoor as the quizmaster, and model Frieda Pinto and actor Irrfan Khan in other important roles. Even though Swarup has yet to see Boyle’s adaptation of his novel, he is convinced that the director of 'Trainspotting' and '28 Days Later' would have done justice to it. “I have watched all his movies and I was certain that his own unique style will bring a completion to the craft. It was him and Simon’s mastery over the script that made me sign the contract in the first place. I am sure it deserves every bit of the adulation it is getting,” he says.
In fact, it was the involvement of Boyle and Beaufoy, who had earlier written 'The Full Monty', that made it easy for Swarup to accept the creative changes. “In any such adaptation, you can either accept the change or reject it. I knew they had retained the framework of the novel and I saw both the first and second drafts of the script since I had the creative rights. It would have been cinematically boring to have retained all the 12 questions and answers. I trusted their creative vision and now, I am waiting to see the DVD which Danny has promised he will send,” he says.
