It is not necessary to fall in love with Slumdog Millionaire as an example of fine filmmaking to appreciate its significance as a bright ray of hope in a time of economic gloom as it won eight Oscars on Monday morning. That has indeed been the meaning of Oscar-winning films over the years. The winning films are faithful barometers of the mood of the moment. In 2009, the Americans are groping for light and hope, and so is Britain, the junior partner of the Anglo-American alliance. Slumdog Millionaire provides us the sweet tale in the heaven of imagination woven from the pleasing cultural mix of a British film made with American funds based on an Indian story and with an Indian cast of characters and actors. Global art in a global mart!

It was a triumph almost pre-ordained: after picking up awards everywhere it competed — the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA — Slumdog Millionaire continued its victorious march and swept the most prestigious awards of them all, the Oscars. An improbable story of love and hope in the midst of fetid slums, the film has been on a roll ever since it was released, an irony considering that it almost did not make it to the theatres in the first place.

I have been watching the awards show on television and it is really a fabulous achievement as Indian creativity has been recognised. It is not the talking point whether the director is Indian or not, but the point is that people who really made it happen by and large were Indians. It was shot in India and its star cast was Indian. We should appreciate the effort that has brought India into limelight.—Piyush Pandey, ad guru

An Indian lyricist and music director winning the Oscar is a very good thing for the music industry of the country. With this, Indian cinema has made a big impact on the world scene and is very good for Bollywood. Though it shows India still in the slums, the story, performances and direction is world class.—Rajiv Bhatt,musician

Slumdog Millionaire is an excellently made film. But in an industry such as ours what works and what doesn't cannot be predicted. This is the right time for a film like Slumdog to surface.