The account of optimism amid the misfortune and filth of Mumbai hogged the limelight at the 81st Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February22, 2009 . Slumdog Millionaire romped home with eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Director for Danny Boyle, with two going to music maestro A R Rahman, the first Indian to achieve the historic feat. The Oscar statuette, which depicts a knight holding a crusader's sword and standing on a reel of film, stands 13.5 inches tall and weighs in at a robust 8.5 pounds. The film reel features five spokes, signifying the five original branches of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers.
History Created
Slumdog Millionaire edged past Brad Pitt-starrer The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which had 13 nominations. The film won Best Picture (Christian Colson), Best Direction (Danny Boyle), Best Music Song (Rahman and Gulzar for Jai Ho), Best Music Score (Rahman), Best Film Editing (Chris Dickens), Best Sound Mixing (Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty), Best Cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy).
The 43-year-old Rahman bagged Oscars for Original Score in the film, named the best at the 2009 Oscars, and along with veteran lyricist Gulzar also won the Best Song award for the foot-tapping number Jai ho. Rahman became the first Indian to win an Oscar in the mainstream section and the third after Bhanu Athaiya (Costume Design, 1983) and Satyajit Ray (Lifetime Achievement, 1992).
The low-budget, rags-to-riches fairy tale and Indian version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? won awards for Best Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Original Song, Editing and Sound Mixing in addition to the Best Picture and Best Direction.
Produced by a British company and co-financed by a French distributor, Slumdog Millionaire primarily had an Indian cast and crew. It was made for only $15 million and a third of its dialogues were in Hindi. It was definitely not an underdog as it won every key award leading up to the Oscars. Inspired by Bollywood, Slumdog Millionaire is an intriguing contradiction — a fantasy underpinned by raw and gritty realism, a romantic fairy tale punctuated with torture and scatological humour, and schmaltz with the purpose and edgy energy of serious modern cinema.
Slumdog Millionaire, which was dropped by Warner Bros and later picked up by Fox Searchlight Pictures for financing, is seen as a rags-to-riches romance and “a feel-good movie”. Some Indians, however, may feel uncomfortable about the way the seamy side of this country — children being blinded for beggary, electric shocks to a hanging youngster in police custody, girls driven to the flesh market — find a resonance in Western sensibilities. Aravind Adiga’s Man Booker Prize-winning novel The White Tiger and Pinki Smile also present the miserable condition of India’s underdog. No wonder, one sensitive critic, Alice Miles, was so shocked by “Slumdog” that he dubbed it a “poverty porn”. The film can also be seen as a message of hope and courage for those living in the depths next to shining India.
Unlike in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (which also won eight Oscars and which was also about how one man overcomes insurmountable odds), the cast of Slumdog Millionaire is almost entirely Indian. More importantly, the style that permeates the film is a curious amalgam — one that represents a true cinematic union between Hollywood and Bollywood.
Kate Winslet won the Best Actress for The Reader. Sean Penn won his second Best Actor Oscar, for playing slain gay-rights pioneer in Milk. Penelope Cruz of Spain won the Best Supporting Actress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Heath Ledger of Australia was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight.
Another India-themed production, Smile Pinki, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. The documentary features Pinki, a girl in rural India whose cleft lip has made her a social outcast. She gets a chance for a new life when she meets a dedicated social worker.
Outstanding Achievement
India justifiably has much to celebrate about Slumdog's night of Oscar glory. Three Indians have won individual Academy honours this year, and that's a tremendous achievement. Rahman struck the high note with two Oscars. Gulzar won jointly with him for penning the lyrics of Jai Ho a song that has become somewhat of an anthem, and Resul Pookutty is bringing home the statuette for excellence in sound mixing. These awards are recognition of the immense talent and competence of each of these artistes.Unlike in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (which also won eight Oscars and which was also about how one man overcomes insurmountable odds), the cast of Slumdog Millionaire is almost entirely Indian. More importantly, the style that permeates the film is a curious amalgam — one that represents a true cinematic union between Hollywood and Bollywood.
Melodic Genius
The recognition earned by the man who was once described as the Mozart of Madras should go a long way in opening Indian popular music to the world. India impacted on this year’s Oscars in another way, and one that deserves a special mention: the best documentary award to Smile Pinki. Shot in Bhojpuri and Hindi by Megan Mylan, it is a story about an Indian girl with a cleft lip who is socially ostracised before a social worker helps her avail of free surgery.
Rahman's music is rooted in the soul and sensibilities of the best of the Indian classical tradition and yet retains the ability to resonate internationally. This is where the maestro's expertise shines through. He is a fine ambassador for contemporary India, one that draws from indigenous as well as global influences but is at ease with its multiple identities. Rahman sees no conflict in being a devout Muslim and creating sublime music for the movies. He is confident and comfortable about being both Tamilian and Indian. Rahman can be what he chooses to be, believe in the god of his choice, and excel in his chosen field of work. His media-shy nature, humility, honesty, sincerity and integrity remain his most endearing qualities.
History Created
Slumdog Millionaire edged past Brad Pitt-starrer The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which had 13 nominations. The film won Best Picture (Christian Colson), Best Direction (Danny Boyle), Best Music Song (Rahman and Gulzar for Jai Ho), Best Music Score (Rahman), Best Film Editing (Chris Dickens), Best Sound Mixing (Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty), Best Cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy).
The 43-year-old Rahman bagged Oscars for Original Score in the film, named the best at the 2009 Oscars, and along with veteran lyricist Gulzar also won the Best Song award for the foot-tapping number Jai ho. Rahman became the first Indian to win an Oscar in the mainstream section and the third after Bhanu Athaiya (Costume Design, 1983) and Satyajit Ray (Lifetime Achievement, 1992).
The low-budget, rags-to-riches fairy tale and Indian version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? won awards for Best Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Original Song, Editing and Sound Mixing in addition to the Best Picture and Best Direction.
Produced by a British company and co-financed by a French distributor, Slumdog Millionaire primarily had an Indian cast and crew. It was made for only $15 million and a third of its dialogues were in Hindi. It was definitely not an underdog as it won every key award leading up to the Oscars. Inspired by Bollywood, Slumdog Millionaire is an intriguing contradiction — a fantasy underpinned by raw and gritty realism, a romantic fairy tale punctuated with torture and scatological humour, and schmaltz with the purpose and edgy energy of serious modern cinema.
Slumdog Millionaire, which was dropped by Warner Bros and later picked up by Fox Searchlight Pictures for financing, is seen as a rags-to-riches romance and “a feel-good movie”. Some Indians, however, may feel uncomfortable about the way the seamy side of this country — children being blinded for beggary, electric shocks to a hanging youngster in police custody, girls driven to the flesh market — find a resonance in Western sensibilities. Aravind Adiga’s Man Booker Prize-winning novel The White Tiger and Pinki Smile also present the miserable condition of India’s underdog. No wonder, one sensitive critic, Alice Miles, was so shocked by “Slumdog” that he dubbed it a “poverty porn”. The film can also be seen as a message of hope and courage for those living in the depths next to shining India.
Unlike in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (which also won eight Oscars and which was also about how one man overcomes insurmountable odds), the cast of Slumdog Millionaire is almost entirely Indian. More importantly, the style that permeates the film is a curious amalgam — one that represents a true cinematic union between Hollywood and Bollywood.
Kate Winslet won the Best Actress for The Reader. Sean Penn won his second Best Actor Oscar, for playing slain gay-rights pioneer in Milk. Penelope Cruz of Spain won the Best Supporting Actress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Heath Ledger of Australia was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight.
Another India-themed production, Smile Pinki, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. The documentary features Pinki, a girl in rural India whose cleft lip has made her a social outcast. She gets a chance for a new life when she meets a dedicated social worker.
Outstanding Achievement
India justifiably has much to celebrate about Slumdog's night of Oscar glory. Three Indians have won individual Academy honours this year, and that's a tremendous achievement. Rahman struck the high note with two Oscars. Gulzar won jointly with him for penning the lyrics of Jai Ho a song that has become somewhat of an anthem, and Resul Pookutty is bringing home the statuette for excellence in sound mixing. These awards are recognition of the immense talent and competence of each of these artistes.Unlike in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (which also won eight Oscars and which was also about how one man overcomes insurmountable odds), the cast of Slumdog Millionaire is almost entirely Indian. More importantly, the style that permeates the film is a curious amalgam — one that represents a true cinematic union between Hollywood and Bollywood.
Melodic Genius
The recognition earned by the man who was once described as the Mozart of Madras should go a long way in opening Indian popular music to the world. India impacted on this year’s Oscars in another way, and one that deserves a special mention: the best documentary award to Smile Pinki. Shot in Bhojpuri and Hindi by Megan Mylan, it is a story about an Indian girl with a cleft lip who is socially ostracised before a social worker helps her avail of free surgery.
Rahman's music is rooted in the soul and sensibilities of the best of the Indian classical tradition and yet retains the ability to resonate internationally. This is where the maestro's expertise shines through. He is a fine ambassador for contemporary India, one that draws from indigenous as well as global influences but is at ease with its multiple identities. Rahman sees no conflict in being a devout Muslim and creating sublime music for the movies. He is confident and comfortable about being both Tamilian and Indian. Rahman can be what he chooses to be, believe in the god of his choice, and excel in his chosen field of work. His media-shy nature, humility, honesty, sincerity and integrity remain his most endearing qualities.
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