With gorgeous red carpets, blinking cameras and a thrilled deluge of global stardust – Hollywood's biggest night has finally arrived!!!

Ace British director Danny Boyle shepherded the extended ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ cast members down the red carpet Sunday to the Kodak Theatre for the star-studded 81st Annual Academy Awards.

In an interview, Danny said, “Some of the cast are from very poor backgrounds but it's wonderful to have them all here because we treated them all as equals throughout.”

The cast including the nine cast members, who played the three lead roles in the rags-to-riches myth, were all on hand for the ‘Oscars’ ceremonial occasion.

Out of them, the two youngest members, who still reside in Mumbai’s slum areas, were making their first journey outside India.

The Mumbai-based model and television presenter, Freida Pinto, who made her screen debut with ``Slumdog Millionaire'' described her experience as ``career-changing.''

She said, “This is the happiest moment ever because all nine of us are here ... and it's wonderful to have everyone back together in one big `Slumdog' family.”

The six junior stars of ``Slumdog Millionaire'', the boys were dressed in tuxedos and the girls in formal dresses.

The audiences greeted them with applauds and blew kisses as they walked the red carpet.

Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala, 15, who plays the role of hero's brother as a teenager in ``Slumdog Millionaire'', said, “It’s unbelievable; we never thought we'd be here but we are.”

The movie which spans a 15-year period, is about a resourceful orphan from Mumbai's slums who becomes a national celebrity when he gets a shot at winning a fortune on India's version of ``Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' while searching for his lost love.

Set and shot in India, Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a young man from Mumbai’s slum area who appears on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” and go beyond people’s hopes, bringing up the suspicions of the game show host and of law enforcement officials.

Boyle stated that his loving daughter suggested him to take the young actor Dev Patel in the lead after watching his outstanding performance in the British teen TV drama ``Skins.''

“He was a young man who had a lot of potential locked up inside him ... like the character in the film ... and everybody underrated him to begin with and ... he proves himself to be a hero,” Boyle added.

Veteran Bollywood superstar Anil Kapoor, who played the host of India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” in the movie, told that the victory of ``Slumdog'' means a lot for the Hindia film industry.

“I think this is just the beginning and this is an opportunity I think the whole India should grab with both hands,” Anil said. “Everybody in India is really, really proud of the ... kind of film it is.”