Oscar Euphoria!

Congratulations to Resul Pookutty (sound mixing) and A. R. Rahman (original score and song) for becoming the first two Indians to win Oscars! It is indeed a terrific achievement and hopefully represents the stepping stone for Indian cinema to achieve worldwide recognition and popularity. I couldn't help but feel proud as I watched both of them receive their awards and deliver passionate acceptance speeches on Hollywood's most prestigious podium, although I think some of their words were inevitably lost in translation. I must mention here that Rahman hails from my home-state, lives in my hometown and spoke on stage in Tamil, his (and mine!) mother tongue. This was a simply brilliant feeling as I'm sure the Madridistas will agree with me, having watched and heard Penelope Cruz on stage as well.

However, watching them receive deserved accolades for Slumdog Millionaire, I wondered how come this film won Oscars when Indian English films in the past have been unsuccessful. Perhaps it is because an American firm (Fox Searchlight) backed the film? I honestly don't know the answer, but I do know that in the past, there have been equally great, if not better, Indian films that have failed to even garner Oscar nominations. Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding, in particular, comes to mind. For those who have not seen it yet, I highly recommend the film, which is mostly in English and stars several leading Bollywood artistes.

Obviously, I fully expect politics to play a significant role in determining which films get selected for Oscars and other major awards. However, my hope is that the success of Slumdog Millionaire will encourage not just the Academy, but film producers and directors to view Indian cinema in a more positive, favorable light. There are plenty of terrific stories and great actors in India, and hopefully we'll get more exposure to the rest of the world henceforth. Once again, congratulations to Resul and ARR!!

P.S. If you thought the music of Slumdog Millionaire was captivating, check out a few other soundtracks by A. R. Rahman, notably Roja, Dil Se and Bombay. Slumdog Millionaire was not his best work, by far!