Two weeks ago, “Slumdog Millionaire” swept the Golden Globes, winning each of the four categories it was nominated for. This India-based independent-film, filled with thrills, despair and triumph is definitely worth the hype.

“Slumdog” tells the story, or destiny rather, of Jamal Malik, a sensitive child of the slums of Mumbai, India. After losing their mother to Muslim-Hindu riots in the city, Jamal and his hard-nosed older brother, Salim, must live on their own. They meet Latika, a shy, pretty girl in the same predicament. The trio form a “three musketeers” of sorts just trying to survive. Jamal falls for Latika, but he is separated from his soul mate through a number of causes involving gang leaders, the sheer size of India and his own brother Salim.

But Jamal, a dreamer, never forgets and vows to find her. After becoming a lowly “chai-wallah” (tea server) at a call center, he makes it onto the famed game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”. Jamal’s improbable run to the final 20 million rupee question makes him an overnight sensation in the country, but he isn’t doing it for fame or even the money. He uses the show as a last-ditch effort to reach Latika.

Adapting Vikas Swarup’s novel, “Q&A,” screenwriter Simon Beaufoy pens a memorable and unique story that flows seamlessly. Beaufoy weaves Jamal’s life story with the questions in the “Millionaire” telecast. After the first show taping is cut short, Jamal is taken by authorities and violently interrogated about whether he cheated. Through flashbacks, we see how each question correlates with an event in Jamal’s life. It is destiny after all.

The exceptional script is executed by director Danny Boyle (“Trainspotting”).

Boyle creates an art piece that is visually stunning. A scene with young Jamal and Salim running through the slums is a carefully constructed adrenaline-rush. The depiction of the “Millionaire” setting amplifies the drama throughout the film. The overhead shots of the Indian ghetto are breathtaking. The movie, paired with a soundtrack from composer A.R. Rahman and famed Sri Lankan M.I.A., truly conveys the struggles of impoverished people in urban India.

“Slumdog” combines an underdog story, a socio-economic commentary and a love story that you root for. During a scene when Jamal and Latika are being torn away from each other, a woman next to me clenched her fingers together as if she was praying for them to end up together.

In the end, “Slumdog Millionaire” can be certified as a story of hope in the worst possible circumstances. The movie transcends the stereotypical Bollywood film, despite the cliché (yet amusing) mass dance sequence during the closing credits.