LOS ANGELES -- Rags-to-riches drama "Slumdog Millionaire" enhanced its status as frontrunner for next month's Oscars here Saturday, scooping top prize at the Producers Guild of America Awards.

Director Danny Boyle's low budget film, shot on location in Mumbai with a largely unknown cast, claimed the Daryl F. Zanuck award for producer of the year at Saturday's event in Beverly Hills, local media reported.

The film's success came just two days after it earned 10 nominations for the February 22 Academy Awards. Period romance "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" leads the Oscar nominations with 13 nods.

Although in recent years the film with the most nominations has tended to win the Oscars best picture prize, pundits believe "Slumdog Millionaire", with its uplifting plot, is the narrow favorite. Several bookmakers have already installed the film as front-runner for the Oscars.

The PGA's 3,000 members include many Academy Awards voters, making it a key barometer for Oscars pundits.

Last year's PGA award winner, "No Country for Old Men," eventually went on to win the Oscars' coveted best picture award.

Other films in the running for the PGA Awards top prize included Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight," political drama "Frost/Nixon," and Gus Van Sant's "Milk."