'Slumdog' bags 11 Bafta nominations

London, Jan 15 (IANS) Mumbai rags-to-riches saga "Slumdog Millionaire" earned a pre-Oscars boost Thursday by bagging 11 nominations for the Baftas, the British awards.

Following up on its successes at the Golden Globes awards this week, the film was tied at the top of the nominations list with "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", starring Brad Pitt.

Both were nominated for Best Film alongside "Milk", "Frost/Nixon" and "The Reader", organisers said.

"Slumdog Millionaire" won nominations for best film, outstanding British film, director (Danny Boyle), music (A.R. Rahman), adapted screenplay (Simon Beaufoy), leading actor (Dev Patel), supporting actress (Freida Pinto), cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle), editing (Chris Dickens), production design and sound.

The British produced and financed film, based on a book by Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup, won four Gloden Globes this week and has just opened in London to rave notices.

However, the film's 18-year-old lead, Hounslow-educated Dev Patel, is expected to face stiff opposition from Brad Pitt who has been nominated in the leading actor category for his role in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

The Bafta (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards will be held Feb 8 at the Royal Opera House in central London, followed by the Oscars two weeks later.

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Slumdog Millionaire