Rs1,000: Is the term “slumdog” offensive? The film's title refers to “underdog”, but in India it has evoked unflattering comparisons with wild canines. Several middle class Indians I consulted, most of whom enjoyed the film, thought people should worry more about the slums and less about the terminology.

Rs4,000: Are all Indian films escapist? Bollywood films, known for their song and dance, are famed for shunning social realism as vehemently as on-screen kisses. But there is a long, gritty tradition of Indian cinema. Bengali director Satyajit Ray's realist works also prompted criticism of peddling poverty. Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra, whose 2006 film The Colour of Saffron is the biggest-selling DVD in Indian history, deals with edgy themes. “The era of musicals is over,” he asserts. In his film, the heroes assassinate a venal and mendacious cabinet minister, so perhaps the age of fantastical wish-fulfillment is not dead after all.

Rs16,000: Where was the film shot? It was filmed in Mumbai's Dharavi slum, the largest in Asia with a reputed population of 1m. Sengeeta Dogi, an 18-year-old living there, told me: “I liked some parts [of the film] but I didn't like the bits where Dharavi was shown negatively.” She particularly objected to a scene where the hero jumped through an open latrine to secure a film idol's autograph, though she could not help laughing at that point when the film was replayed. She also said it was untrue that children were deliberately mutilated so they could earn more as beggars. Other residents said it used to happen, but not any more.