The 81st Annual Academy Awards had quite a few moments of glory, as it played out on February 22.
We take a look: Mozart of Madras on the world’s stage
If ever India truly stepped on stage and delivered, it was at the 81st Annual Academy Awards on Sunday night. One of Bharat’s favourite sons -- music maestro A R Rahman-- shone doubly bright, winning twice, for Best Original Score and Best Song (Jai Ho!). "Ella pughalum iraivanuke (All glory and fame is to god)" is what he had to say, regarding his victory. In addition to the Almighty, he also thanked his mother, Kareema Begum, who was on hand for the festivities. Rahman then performed both his Oscar-nominated songs, O Saya and Jai Ho, with American soul singer John Legend. Legend sang WALL-E’s Oscar nominated song, Down To Earth, as its original singer Peter Gabriel refused to perform. M I A, who sang O Saya with Rahman in Slumdog Millionaire, could not perform on Oscar night, as she has just had a baby.
An emotional moment for Heath Ledger
While overall the ceremony was a raucous good time, the Best Supporting Actor award presentation cast a decidedly sombre shadow on the proceedings. The Dark Knight star Heath Ledger, whose turn as the Joker was talked about months before the film’s release, became only the second actor to win an award posthumously at the Oscars. Mother Sally Bell, father Kim Ledger and sister Kate accepted the award, while Kim delivered a heartfelt address.
Kate Winslet gets over the Academy Awards hump
Her bad luck with the Academy Awards has become almost legendary. After being nominated five times only to have her hopes crushed time after time, Kate Winslet finally secured that ever-elusive Oscar. Winslet, 33, admitted that she had first prepared an acceptance speech when she was still a little girl. "I’d be lying if I hadn’t made a version of this speech. I think I was probably eight years old and staring into a mirror," she said, accepting the Best Actress award for her work in The Reader. One of the big questions was whether or not she’d keep her composure. And she managed, if barely! Kate, who was seated away from her family, asked her dad to whistle - which he immediately did - so that she knew exactly where they were when she thanked them. Quite a moment!
Hugh Jackman and Beyonce Knowles
No one knew quite what to expect from Aussie hunk and reigning World’s Sexiest Man, Hugh Jackman. How would he handle the MCing duties for an event that is usually handled by elite Hollywood comedians? He answered our questions. And how. With a superb performance that will indeed be remembered for some time to come, Jackman showed he was up to the challenge. After serenading Anne Hathway, Hugh performed with Beyonce Knowles in an old-fashioned musical sequence, which featured a dizzying number of songs and dances. It was part Mamma Mia, part High School Musical, part Grease, part Moulin Rouge and many more.
Resul Pookutty’s acceptance speech
From a remote village in Kerala that had no electricity to the bright lights of Hollywood, what a journey it has been for 36-year-old Resul Pookutty, India’s most feted sound technician. Pookutty shared the Oscar for Best Sound Mixing with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke for their work in Slumdog Millionaire . And if SM is indeed the ultimate underdog film, Resul Pookutty personifies its underdog credentials. Resul got his big break less than five years ago, with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black. Fast forward a few years and he’s on the stage at the Academy Awards, under the intense scrutiny of a global audience. Still, the award-winning sound technician acquitted himself nicely. Here, an excerpt from his acceptance speech.
"This is unbelievable," he said. "I share the stage with two magicians, you know, who created the very ordinary sounds of Bombay, the cacophony of Bombay, into a soul-stirring, artful resonance called Slumdog Millionaire. "I come from a country and a civilization that’s given the universal word," he continued. "That word is preceded by silence, followed by more silence. That word is ’Om.’ So I dedicate this award to my country. Thank you, Academy. This is not just a sound award, this is history being handed over to me."
Slumdog’s best win
After four Golden Globes, seven BAFTAs and seven Oscars, India still held her collective breath. There was that one final award, that one final nod of appreciation that the country so desperately wanted to see. And when it came, it was glorious! The film bagged its eight and last award for Best Film, where most of the cast and crew joined the producers on stage. The gorgeous Freida Pinto, the energetic Anil Kapoor , the seasoned Irrfan, Mumbai’s child actors, director Danny Boyle and co-director Loveleen Tandan went on-stage to celebrate! Seeing the whole cast and crew up on the dais, sending off the television audience in true Bollywood fashion, was a moment that no true Indian will forget any time soon.
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