More bad press for Slumdog

The Indian public's reaction to the award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire has gone from indifferent to outright hostile. Rioters in the eastern city of Patna attacked theaters showing the film and tore down posters to protest the use of the word "dog" in the title.

The protests were organized by social activist Tapeshwar Vishwakarma, who has also filed a lawsuit against actor Anil Kapoor (who played the game show host in the film) and Academy Award-nominated composer A.R. Rahman for violating the rights of slum dwellers by depicting them in a bad light. Kapoor and Rahman are both better known to Indian audiences than the film's other stars.

The parents of two of the child actors in the film have also accused producers of underpaying and exploiting their children. 

It remains to be seen how this bad press will dampen some of the near-univeral praise the film has received in the U.S. 

Photo: PAL PILLAI/AFP/Getty Images