Slumdog has a similar story to a short film titled Boot Polish made last year

Rating: 7/10 (11 January 2009)

I went to watch Slumdog Millionaire and it was a very good film. The film is kinda similar to a short film titled Boot Polish made by a new British film director Aneel Ahmad in 2007.
Both stories covering the same premise. Kid from poverty and saving a girl at the end with great music and cinematography. The perfect cocktail for a Bollywood Movie
Boot Polish has no real dialogue and it was more tailored for the cinema of Satyajit Ray. Visual style rather than storyline which needed to be stronger. But its very Bollywood as well and has a cross over genre feel to it. It's a wonderful start by a novice filmmaker and it is unquestionably a real accomplishment.
Slumdog Millionaire as a film was crafted for western audience. It was more of a roller-coaster ride shot at a high speed rate. I think the only thing that let Slumdog down was the English dialogue, it just made it seem unreal.
Both films Boot Polish and Slumdog Millionaire are both pioneering cross genre Bollywood films and they are very difficult to create because you are trying to grab two very different audiences.
Many Asian film-goers usually feel that British directors tend to be insensitive when shooting abroad, but i feel that Ahmad & Boyle had researched and perhaps adopted the idea of shooting Boot Polish & Slumdog Millionaire in a more Bollywood Style - Hence Romeo & Juliet. So it would appeal to the masses.
I highly recommend Boot Polish if anyone can get hold of it! There are some great new film directors emerging within the British scene. So it's exciting times. Ahmad has had great critical success with his shorts by audiences across the world and his films have been endorsed by so many established film directors - Ridley Scott, Quentin Tarantino, Mike Leigh, Alan Parker and Peter Carlton who is an executive at Film 4 (co financed Slumdog Millionaire), the list is endless.
Danny Boyle should give Aneel Ahmad some mentoring advice because he is sure to be one of the next best film directors we have in England.