With star-crossed romance, exciting chases, and intense drama comes “Slumdog Millionaire,” a story of a slumdog whom you can’t help but cheer for as he competes in the Indian game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

“Slumdog Millionaire,” directed by Danny Boyle, features Jamal Malik (Dev Patel, Tanay Chheda, and Ayush Mahesh Khedekar) as the main protagonist. He’s what you would call a slumdog, or someone raised in the slums of a city, except this slumdog’s story is vastly different.

Jamal is on an unheard of streak on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire as he answers question after question correctly, inching himself closer to a life-altering sum of money. However, this arouses suspicion in the minds of the show’s producers who have Jamal arrested and interrogated on the charge of cheating, simply because his success didn’t correlate with the events of Jamal’s tragic and exciting past.

The movie’s plot is expertly created with intricate layers of detail and excitement, making it difficult to look away from the screen. Each question leads to flashbacks which reveal more and more about Jamal and those around him, including his brother Salim (Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala, and Madhur Mittal) who is easily the most controversial and complicated character in the film due to his violent attitude and impulsive decision-making. While I couldn’t help liking and cheering on Jamal, my emotions toward Salim were constantly shifting from hatred to love; in the end I respected him immensely and would go as far to say that he was my favorite character.

Additionally, the soundtrack of “Slumdog Millionaire” adds to the film’s sense of culture and excitement. From fast drums to traditional Indian music, each scene’s intensity and excitement is enhanced by the soundtrack. However, there is a brief montage of Jamal and Salim’s adventures on a train during their childhood which has the American pop song “Paper Planes” by M.I.A. playing during it. I didn’t find this necessary for the montage, since it didn’t appear to be true to the Indian-themed culture of the production.

However, a few minor grievances cannot hinder the raw emotions that this splendid movie stirs within the vast majority of its viewers. “Slumdog Millionaire” is a movie that will always be a relevant and powerful film with an impactful theme about family and true love.