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Will Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire strike gold at the Oscars? A whopping $41 million is said to be riding on that question, as bookies pitch for the rags-to-
riches drama, setting off a new betting trend in India.
The Oscar awards ceremony is February 22, and the film set in India has 10 nominations. This includes three entries for music maestro A R Rahman's background score and two songs. And they have all emerged as clear favourites with the bookies.
India has traditionally seen a lot of betting in sports, especially cricket.
"This is yet another new trend picking up in Indian betting circles. Probably this will be the first time when both bookies and punters in the country are placing bets on the Oscars," a Mumbai-based bookie said on condition of anonymity.
"Many of the punters who used to bet on cricket largely are now discussing Slumdog Millionaires' chances of winning. But the number of punters and bookies is still very less as people are not aware where to bet and how to bet," said the bookie.
Rahman has been nominated for Best Original Score and his songs Jai Ho and O Saaya are also up for the Best Original Song for a motion picture.
"Punters are crazy about A R Rahman. The reason behind placing bets on Rahman could be his high status in the Indian entertainment industry. The Indian connection to the movie also makes it favourite among the punters," said a punter.
According to some rough estimates provided by bookies, about $41 million is riding on Slumdog Millionaire in the Indian betting circles. Last month the film won four Golden Globes and recently bagged seven British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards. The BAFTA win has fuelled its Oscar chances.
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