Slumdog, Rahman sweep Oscar nominations

Hyderabad Jan 23 :Slumdog Millionaire, the British-made film set in Mumbai which has become this year's word-of-mouth hit, continued its unstoppable rise.

It is one of five films in contention for best picture. The others are The Reader; Milk, the true story of America's first openly gay politician; Frost/Nixon, the dramatisation of Sir David Frost's televised showdown with former US President Richard Nixon; and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a fantasy starring Brad Pitt as a man who ages backwards, which leads the race with 13 nominations. Each of the films has a best director nomination.

Bookmaker William Hill has installed Slumdog Millionaire as odds-on favourite to win best picture.

The film's star, 18-year-old Londoner Dev Patel, missed out on a best actor nomination but said he was thrilled at the prospect of attending the Los Angeles ceremony on February 22.

He said: "It's just amazing. For Slumdog Millionaire to be included in the nominations for the Oscars is a huge honour. When we first began working on the film I don't think any of us ever imagined that we might end up attending the Oscars ceremony as a result. I'm just so proud to be a part of this project and I have been overwhelmed by the positive reaction to the film. Thank you to everyone who has supported us. I truly feel blessed."

The best actor nominees are Richard Jenkins for The Visitor, Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon, Sean Penn for Milk, Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler.

The late Heath Ledger is frontrunner in the best supporting actor category for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. He is expected to become the first posthumous Oscar winner in an acting category since Peter Finch won for Network in 1977.

Nominations

1.Achievement in Cinematography
2.Achievement in Directing
3.Achievement in Film Editing
4.Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) A.R. Rahman
5.Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) A.R. Rahman
6.Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) A.R. Rahman
7.Best Motion Picture of the Year
8.Achievement in Sound Editing
9.Achievement in Sound Mixing
10.Adapted Screenplay

Trailer