Rahman wins as 'Slumdog' sweeps Baftas

Slumdog Millionaire, the film about a young man from the slums of Mumbai who seeks to rise to riches by winning a TV game show, swept the Bafta Awards at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden on Sunday, including awards for best film, best director, and best musical score.

British film-maker Danny Boyle was adjudged best director while composer AR Rahman won the award for best musical score. The film also won awards for best adapted screenplay (Simon Beaufoy), best cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle), best editing (Chris Dickens), and best sound editing (Resul Pookutty). Lead actor Dev Patel, however, lost out on the award for best actor to Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler).

Slumdog Millionaire, which is among the top contenders for the Oscars later this month, was nominated for as many as 11 Bafta Awards, the same as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button starring Brad Pitt.

The film had triumphed at the Golden Globes last month with four honours, including best drama. The Baftas make it a stronger contender for the Oscars.

Among other winners at the Bafta were Kate Winslet (best actress) for The Reader and Penelope Cruz (best supporting actress) for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Australian actor Heath Ledger was posthumously given the award for best supporting actor for The Dark Knight.