This might seem a daring project, but as such, it's rather appropriate that Boyle was the one to make the move. The British director is among a handful of true auteurs working in the big-budget film business today. His films always seem to tread semi-familiar waters with new and refreshing shoes, and more often than not, he does this without sinking. With Slumdog Millionaire, it could be argued that the filmmakers were bold in making a film of this stature without any Western performers. But then again, they have the privilege of playing two markets simultaneously here (with the TV show Who Wants To Be a Millionaire as the common denominator), and the established Bollywood stars (notably Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan) have the presence to attract the extra attention from one of the two markets.