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u00a0First assistant director Raj Acharya, director Danny Boyle, and actor Anil Kapoor arrive at the 61st Annual Directors Guild of America Awards at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on January 31, 2009 in Los Angeles. Pic/AFP

British director Danny Boyle has added another feather to his cap by bagging the top honour from the Directors Guild of America (DGA) for Slumdog Millionaire, brightening his chances to scoop an Oscar for the much-acclaimed rags-to-riches saga set on Mumbai.

The British-Indian film beat rivals like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (David Fincher), The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan), Frost/Nixon (Ron Howard) and Milk (Gus Van Sant) to win the award.

The DGA awards have given another major boost to the film before the big Oscar night on February 22, since the DGA winners almost always triumph at the Academy Awards, going by trends over the last 50 years.

Set in the slums of Mumbai, the film has emerged a favourite in the award ceremonies. The latest honour for Slumdog Millionaire follows its recent win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, where it won best cast ensemble and best picture from the Producers Guild of America, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Slumdog Millionaire is being seen as the front-runner at the Oscars with 10 nominations, second only to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which has 14 nominations to its credit.

The DGA award is also a first for Boyle, who had never previously been nominated for it.