Amid all the hubbub about Slumdog Millionaire, I never knew it was based on the book Q&A, which was published in 2005. Maybe that’s because Q&A’s success in the states wasn’t realized until recently. The publishers of the book have hopped on the film's coattails and changed the novel’s name to Slumdog Millionaire, slapping a shot from the film on the cover. As a result, sales have surged, and the book has risen to No. 8 on the NY Times Best Sellers List.

Author and Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup hasn’t wasted any time, either. He’s written a second book, Six Suspects, which has also been optioned for a film. The book follows the lives of 6 murder suspects: a corrupt bureaucrat, an American, a stone-age tribesman, a Bollywood sex-symbol, a small-time thief and an ambitious politician.

I wonder if this film will end in song an dance, too.

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