Music maestro Alla Rakha Rahman, who has become the first Indian artiste to get Oscar nomination in the main category for his score in "Slumdog Millionaire", says he is very excited and thanks the nation for its best wishes.

"I love this film. The nominations have given me a great feeling. My inspiration to compose the music was the movie itself, its thought and the message in the film," Rahman told a TV channel after the nominations were disclosed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles, US.

"Everyone has worked very hard for the film and I am actually feeling on top of the world right now. I want to thank everyone for their wishes," he added during a chat with Times Now TV news channel.

Rahman has three Oscar nominations, including one for best original score and for two songs in the film - "Jai ho" and "O saya".

Directed by British filmmaker Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire" got seven more nominations including for best director, best picture and best adapted screenplay.

"The beauty of music is that we don't think about awards while creating it. I'm very happy that I'm with my family at the moment. All members of the film are very excited. It will surely be a great energy booster for all the musicians in the country," said Rahman, whose latest offering "Delhi - 6" is ruling the charts.

Other Slumdog Millionaire nominations are:

* Best Picture: "Slumdog Millionaire"
* Best Director: Danny Boyle
* Adapted screenplay: Simon Beaufoy
* Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle
* Film editing: Chris Dickens
* Sound editing: Tom Sayers
* Sound mixing: Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

The 81st annual Academy Awards will be held Sunday, Feb 22, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood and will be broadcast live in over 200 countries around the world.

This past weekend, the film climbed to number 10 on the North American box office chart and has grossed $44.2 million to date. It is currently the number one movie in Britain and releases in India Jan 23.

After it swept the Golden Globes, including one for original score for Rahman, the Oscar nominations for the heart warming story of an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who goes on to win a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" game show, were not a surprise.