Oscar fever grips India

The biggest award night of the year is just a few hours away. And a billion-plus people of India are waiting with bated expectation to know if the homeboy Rahman brings back the coveted golden man from Los Angeles. The film fraternity, musicians, and even the critics of ‘Slumdog’ are hoping for a few Oscars for the film and Rahman.

The 43-year-old music composer, who has already won a Golden Globe and BAFTA, is nominated for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for his numbers “Jai Ho” and “O saya”.


In the original score category, Rahman faces competition from Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), James Newton Howard (Defiance), Danny Elfman (Milk) and Thomas Newman (WALL-E).

In the original song category, the Indian composer is pitted against Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman (Down to earth from WALL-E). Gulzar has penned the lyrics of “Jai Ho” and Mathangi 'Maya' Arulpragasam aka M.I.A. for “O Saya”.

It is also a tryst with destiny for Indian sound technician Resul Pookutty, who is vying for an Oscar with his colleagues Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke for sound mixing in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. Pookutty faces challenge from ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, ‘The Dark Knight’, ‘WALL-E’ and ‘Wanted’.

‘Slumdog Millionaire’, Boyle's Mumbai-based saga about a slumkid’s journey to fame and fortune is generating equal hype in India with its predominant Indian cast and crew. The film is fighting in six categories including the Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

With 13 nominations, Brad Pitt-starrer ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ is the biggest threat to the film. Other nominees in the category are ‘Frost/Nixon’, ‘Milk’ and ‘The Reader’.

Boyle is also the favourite to win the Best Director trophy.

While the British director will have to fight it out with David Fincher (Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), Gus Van Sant (Milk) and Stephen Daldry (The Reader).

However, Indian enthusiasm is not just limited to ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. Two documentaries ‘Smile Pinki’ and ‘The Final Inch’, are also in the Oscar race in Documentary (Short) category.

Smile Pinki is a 40-minute documentary that depicts the story of Pinki Sonkar, an eight-year-old girl from Mirzapur whose cleft lip made her a social outcast. Made in Bhojpuri and Hindi, the film has been directed by Emmy-nominated producer Megan Mylan.

Irene Tylor Brodsky's 38-minute documentary ‘The Final Inch’ captures the struggle of polio field workers as they travel from village to village to administer polio drops under the polio eradication programme of India.

The Indians attending the Oscars include Anil Kapoor , A R Rahman , Freida Pinto , Dev Patel and the two kids of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, Azhar and Rubina, who have been especially flown from Mumbai for the big night at the Kodak Theatre.



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