Six weeks ago when actor Irrfan Khan was in Jaipur, he had foretold an Oscar sweep for Slumdog Millionaire which bordered on over-enthusiasm at the time. But, on Monday in Los Angeles he was among the film's ecstatic crew that walked away with eight, the maximum, golden statuettes, just as he had predicted.  

Khan who played the inquisitive police inspector who sees truth in the film's protagonist suspected of manipulating the game show could not sleep the night before the ceremony. 

Talking to DNA over the phone from Kodak Theatre in LA, Khan spoke about his prediction. “Didn't I already tell you that this film would go places? I had said that it would win the Oscars and it did.” So, were there butterflies in his belly when the categories in which AR Rahman and Resul Pookutty got nominated, were announced? “What can I say? When we saw Resul and then Rahman walking towards the stage to accept the award, every one of us had tears in our eyes. Every one,” Irrfan said. After making history, the entire cast of the film shared the stage and then walked into the party that lasted till the wee hours in Los Angeles. 

“I think the way the tender Indian story has been treated by a director from the West has proven that no good cinema is ever Indian or British,” the actor born and brought up in Jaipur said. Slumdog's success, he said, would bring more directors from the West to India in search of authentic Indian stories. 

Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister

“It is a proud moment for us to see Irrfan Khan among the star cast of the successful film.”

Ashish Mehta/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication