A major Indian director, Priyadarshan (Billu), has lashed out at Slumdog Millionaire, describing it as “cheap” and “trashy”.

Priyadarshan screened Kanjeevaram, his film about silk weavers, alongside British director Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire at the Toronto Film Festival, where Boyle's film won the People's Choice Award.

“And please quote me clearly on this,” Priyadarshan told NDTV. “If the Golden Globe and Oscars committees have chosen to honour this trashy film it just shows their ignorance of world cinema."

After Priyadarshan issued his blast, a national award-winning South Indian director, Krishna Vamsi, said he "hated Slumdog Millionaire".

Slumdog Millionaire has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards.