Despite the gritty picture 127 Hours paints, director Danny Boyle insists that the film, much like his award-winning Slumdog Millionaire, is the celebration of a miracle

Danny Boyle is a man with very little time to spare. Well, that's the impression his publicist seems to give you. At eight minutes, the phone interview crackles to a close with Mr Boyle answering a question about going off the radar. Inexplicably, the line falls silent and gets disconnected. A while later, there's a courtesy call to tell me he's busy with rehearsals.

Success seems to have changed the man I once spent five hours on the set (Slumdog Millionaire) with. The helmer of a film that tries to bridge chasms between people and the vast voids between moments, for reasons best known to those close to him, seems aloof despite the warm charm he exudes.

Here's what he was able to tell us about his latest film 127 Hours...

Why this film after Slumdog Millionaire?
While it does look contrasting to Slumdog... the two film do share a number of similarities. Both films make people forget that their lives are tough. 127 Hours really is a feel-good film, much like SM, after the protagonist gets past his challenges.

What a miracle that life can go on after that. Interestingly, I wanted to make this film before Slumdog. SM made the money that was put into 127 Hours. So they're connected, in a way.

What excited you most about telling Aron's tale?
It's a fascinating story. It isn't a 'what- if' but rather what happened to be a story of survival in the wilderness. It's a story that tells you that people are important and that we should stop taking them for granted.

This guy (Aron Ralston) is 27, an athletic achiever and on this simple journey gets trapped and examines his relationships. That helps him put things into perspective and get out of there.

Why cast James Franco in an author-backed role? The guy is only known for some indie films of note and was a regular in the former Spiderman movie trilogy...
I actually saw his role in Pineapple Express and that that's what inspired his casting. We needed someone to find the comic side to him despite his ordeal. James really had a feel for the part. He's amazing in 127 Hours

127 Hours is an odd title. Who came up with it?
I did, when I was writing the film. It reminds me of a time when I was 27. You know how all young men feel they're invincible and display a certain level of cockiness. In the years since, I realized that you have to learn to value your life. 127 Hours is a journey into that magical time.

In one scene, Franco's character rues that no-one knows where he is; ergo no-one would know where to come to save him. Have you ever gone off-grid like that?
I guess we all have at some point of time (laughs), haven't we? I guess we're all guilty of that in different ways. He [Franco's character, Aron] goes off to one of the most godforsaken places on earth without telling a soul. I don't think I'd go that far out.