Young Jamal Malik (Patel) is one question away from winning 20 million rupees on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," hosted by the slick Prem (Kapoor). No one can believe that a poor slum-dweller who works as a chaiwalla (tea-boy) could be so smart, so Malik undergoes a brutal interrogation by a police inspector (Khan). As Malik tells him about his life — growing up in Mumbai, working as a street beggar, and falling in love with his best friend Latika (Pinto) — he reveals how he's come to know the answers to the quiz. The inspector starts to believe him, but Malik still has one last question to answer.

Director Danny Boyle brings a Dickensian rags-to-riches story to vibrant life, with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle earning extra credit (and an Oscar) for his kinetic camerawork. Seven additional Oscars were handed out for the colorful, captivating "Slumdog," including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay (by Simon Beaufoy). The wide-eyed Patel is heartbreaking as Malik, and the stunning Pinto is a heroine worth fighting for in this poignant, funny, and suspenseful rush of a movie. "Slumdog" will make you feel like a million.