Slumdog Millionaire is all set for the Oscars. Stars across the world seem to be saying--Slumdog Millionaire--Jai ho. India's track record at the Oscars hasn't been good so far. Only three Indian films--Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan have ever been nominated in the Best Foreign Film category.
India's true claim to fame came with the movie Gandhi. Bhanu Athaiya won for Best Costume Design in 1982. Satyajit Ray later got the Oscar's Lifetime Achievement award. From the voices in Hollywood to those right here in India, expectations are running high. As it is said, every dog has its day. The question, however, is--will Slumdog have its day at the Oscars.
HEATH Ledger's family face a bittersweet anniversary of his death tomorrow, with the talented young actor almost certain to be nominated for an Oscar a year to the day after he died.
Ledger is expected to get a nod for best supporting actor for playing The Joker in The Dark Knight – his last full film role before his death from an accidental prescription drug overdose in New York.
The Academy Awards nomination ceremony will be held just after midnight tonight Australian time.
But while Ledger appears a sure thing, Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman and almost 20 other Australian Oscar hopefuls are not such certainties.
Months of multi-million-dollar campaigns have been aimed at swaying the 6000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Will Blanchett rebound from snubs at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards and pick up a nomination for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?
If so, it will be Blanchett's fourth Oscar nomination in five years. Or does the Academy think it is time for Blanchett to have a year off?
As Barack Obama sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, a new 17-nation poll conducted for BBC World Service finds widespread and growing optimism that his presidency will lead to improved relations between the United States and the rest of the world.
The poll also shows people around the world are looking to President Obama to put highest priority on dealing with the current global financial crisis.
In 15 of the 17 countries polled, majorities think that the election of Barack Obama will lead to improved relations with the rest of the world. On average 67% express this upbeat view, while 19% think relations will stay the same and just 5% that relations will worsen.
This is up sharply - by 21 points among tracking countries - from polling done for BBC World Service six months ago, before Obama was elected. At that time just 47% expressed optimism that an Obama presidency would lead to improved relations with the rest of the world. The number of people giving no answer to the question is also down sharply.
This optimism does not necessarily mean, however, that views of the United States itself have changed. BBC World Service is currently completing its annual poll assessing views of major countries’ influence in the world, which will be released within the next few weeks and will show whether views of US influence are improving.
Asked to rate six possible priorities for the Obama administration, the top priority in all countries polled was the global financial crisis. On average 72% said that it should be a top priority.
This was followed by withdrawing US troops from Iraq - with 50% saying this should be a top priority - then addressing climate change (46%), improving America’s relationship with the respondent’s country (46%), brokering peace between Israel and the Palestinians (43%), and supporting the government of Afghanistan against the Taliban (29%).
Polling was completed prior to the current Gaza conflict in all countries except Egypt and India. In Egypt, 75% said brokering peace between Israel and the Palestinians should be a top priority.
The results are drawn from a survey of 17,356 adult citizens across 17 countries conducted for BBC World Service by the international polling firm GlobeScan together with the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland. GlobeScan coordinated fieldwork between 24 November 2008 and 5 January 2009.
“Familiarity with Obama seems to be breeding hope,” commented Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes. “But then again,” he added, “he is starting from a low baseline, following eight years of an unpopular US president. Maintaining this enthusiasm will be a challenge given the complexities he now faces.”
Additional Highlights
Even nations that last summer had few people expressing optimism have come to have hope in an Obama presidency. The number of those predicting better US relations with the rest of the world have jumped from 11 to 51 per cent in Turkey, 11 to 47 per cent in Russia, 29 to 58 per cent in Egypt, and 39 to 68 per cent in China.
Interestingly, two of the countries showing the largest improvement are majority Muslim countries (Egypt and Turkey). Indonesians are also optimistic (64%) and have shown an 18-point increase in optimism from last summer.
The most optimistic views are expressed in Ghana (87%) and in Europe--in Italy (79%), Germany (78%), Spain (78%) and France (76%)--followed by Mexico (74%) and Nigeria (74%). Americans are also quite optimistic, with 65 per cent expressing hope that America’s international relations will improve.
The only two countries where less than a majority express optimism are Japan and Russia. In Japan 48 per cent express optimism, while 37% think relations will stay the same and 8% think they will get worse. In Russia, 47% expect improvement, 26% no change and 5% - a worsening.
All of the foreign policy goals tested in the poll were seen as at least an important priority by clear majorities in virtually every country, highlighting the many serious challenges facing the incoming president.
Europeans, in particular, are looking to the new US president to prioritise tackling climate change, with 58 per cent of French, 63 per cent of British, 65 per cent of Spanish and 68 per cent of Italians seeing it as a top priority.
There are marked differences of opinion on the priority of brokering peace in the Middle East, with 75 per cent of Egyptians but only 17 per cent of Russians seeing it as a top priority for the Obama administration. However, polling was completed in all countries except Egypt and India prior to the current Gaza conflict began.
Americans’ priorities are somewhat different from the world as a whole. While they agree with the highest priority being the global financial crisis (75% say top priority), they are higher than any other country in placing a top priority (46%) on supporting the government of Afghanistan against the Taliban. They also show substantial concern for improving America’s relations with the world - 60 per cent say it should be a top priority; this is substantially higher than the global average (46%) saying that it should be top priority for the US to improve its relations with their region.
In total 17,356 citizens in Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the USA were interviewed face-to-face or by telephone mainly in November and December 2008. Polling was conducted for BBC World Service by the international polling firm GlobeScan and its research partners in each country. In 5 of the 17 countries, the sample was limited to major urban areas. The margin of error per country ranges from +/-2.4 to 4.4 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Polling from last summer was conducted in the same countries from 8 July to 15 September 2008.
For more details, please visit www.globescan.com or www.worldpublicopinion.org.
GlobeScan Incorporated is a global public opinion and stakeholder research consultancy with offices in Toronto, London, and Washington. GlobeScan conducts custom research and annual tracking studies on global issues. With a research network spanning 50+ countries, GlobeScan works with global companies, multilateral agencies, national governments, and non-government organizations to deliver research-based insights for successful strategies.
The Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) is a joint program of the Center on Policy Attitudes and the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland. PIPA undertakes research on attitudes in publics around the world on a variety of international issues and publishes the website/webzine WorldPublicOpinion.org.
The BBC exists to enrich people’s lives with great programmes and services on television, radio and online that informs, educate and entertain. Its vision is to be the most creative, trusted organization in the world. BBC reporters and correspondents at home and abroad can be called on for expert coverage across a huge range of subject areas. With over 70 foreign bureaux, the BBC has the largest newsgathering operation in the world. BBC World Service provides international news, analysis and information in English and 31 other languages.
Country-by-Country Results
ASIA India
Indians have seen a large increase in optimism that US relations with the rest of the world will improve under an Obama administration since last summer, along with most other countries polled. Although Indians agree with most other publics that the US should make dealing with the global financial crisis a top priority, the number holding this view is less than one-half and lower than all other countries polled.
· Sixty-three per cent in India see US relations with the rest of the world improving under President Obama, up from 45 per cent last summer.
· Indians believe the US should put emphasis on dealing with the global financial crisis (47% top priority, 21% important) and improving America’s relationship with their country (42% top priority, 22% important).
· Thirty-five per cent of Indians says addressing climate change should receive top priority from the US, while 33 per cent believe it should be important.
· On other issues where the US could take action, Indians say attention should go to brokering peace between Israel and the Palestinians (28% top priority, 27% important), withdrawing US troops from Iraq (27% top priority, 28% important), and supporting the government of Afghanistan against the Taliban (26% top priority, 32% important).
Bollywood music director A.R. Rahman Monday became the first Indian to win the Golden Globe Award, for best original musical score in Danny Boyle's movie "Slumdog Millionaire". The honour bestowed on the maestro has brought much cheer to the Indian film industry.
"The Golden Globe is a coveted award and it is a rare honour for an Indian music director. By winning it, competing with composers from around the world, Rahman has not only proved his worth, but has also conveyed to the world that, given a chance, an Indian music director can deservedly vie with any composer in the world," fellow composer Anu Malik told IANS.
Rahman won the prestigious award for his musical score in the song "Jai Ho", for which Gulzar penned the lyrics. The song is a typical Rahman number and the composer stuck to his signature style while composing it.
Sukhwinder Singh, who has sung the song, told IANS: "Rahman has churned out great songs even in the past but he did not get an award so I feel that he truly deserves this one. I am very happy for him and when he comes back to India, I will meet him. I'm sure he will definitely ask me, 'Are you happy?'. The song 'Jai Ho' is a very naughty and playful number; it has a good combination of poetry and music and and I enjoyed singing it."
"The international recognition that Rahman has earned for himself makes every Indian proud. He deserves it more than anybody else for his wholehearted dedication to music. It's a rare honour. I congratulate Rahman," said director Aziz Mirza.
"Slumdog Millionaire" bagged four Golden Globe awards. Apart from Rahman, the movie won the awards - considered a precursor to the Oscars - for best motion picture, best screenplay and best director.
That "Slumdog Millionaire" will sweep the Golden Globe Awards was a foregone conclusion after critics from around the world, Hollywood in particular, hailed the film.
Most Indians expected Rahman, known for scoring soul-stirring music in Bollywood and other Indian films, to emerge victorious. And that was exactly what happened Sunday night, making the 43-year-old music composer the first Indian to bag a Golden Globe.
"We are very proud of Rahman. He is an internationally recognised music genius and Golden Globes is a significant win for the music fraternity in India too. Though I haven't worked with him as much as others, I admire him from a distance," said singer Shaan.
"Rahman is truly the king. He is one of the finest composers in the country. He has carried India's name on the global map and has achieved something, which no one from this country could do. He deserves every award that exists," singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan said.
Based on Vikas Swarup's novel "Q & A", the film starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto and Anil Kapoor, is releasing in India Jan 23.
Rahman got his first big break in Mani Ratnam's "Roja" and later composed music for many films in southern India. His first full-fledged Bollywood project was Ram Gopal Varma's hit "Rangeela". Most of the songs, including "Tanha Tanha" and "Hai Rama" and "Yaaro sun lo Zara", were chartbusters. After that there was no looking back for him.
Later, Rahman became a name to reckon with through his soulful compositions in "Dil Se…", "1947 Earth", "Taal", "Lagaan", "Guru", "Rang De Basanti" and "Jodhaa Akbar".
Rahman not only won hearts in India, but also made a mark on the global music scene. He got his first international break when Andrew Lloyd Webber invited him to compose music for Broadway musical "Bombay Dreams", which won him immense international fame. He also composed for the stage adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord Of The Rings" that premiered in Canada in 2006 and in London in 2007.
Rahman launched his first full-fledged orchestra last year. It has been named 'Global Music' and is the first homegrown orchestra.
After winning the Golden Globe, Rahman is looking forward to bagging an Oscar for his soundtrack for "Slumdog Milloinaire".
"For the people of India to get an Oscar is a big thing. So for their sake, more than mine, I hope my song 'Jai ho' and my music score in 'Slumdog Millionaire' win the Oscar," said Rahman, whose latest hit back home was "Ghajini".
He is all set to enthral his fans with his upcoming projects "Delhi-6" and "Blue".
Music composer A.R. Rahman Monday became the first Indian to win a Golden Globe award and is already looking forward to bagging an Oscar for his soundtrack for British filmmaker Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire".
"For the people of India to get an Oscar is a big thing. So for their sake, more than mine, I hope my song 'Jai ho' and my music score in 'Slumdog Millionaire' win the Oscar," Rahman told IANS on phone before the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.
Hollywood music composers like Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore and Danny Elfman have been impressed by the score Rahman has composed.
"They made genuinely warm comments about my music in 'Slumdog Millionaire'. I think they love the Mumbai that they have seen in the film and Danny has made terrific use of my music. The way he has mixed my songs, they are full on, like in a discotheque," the 43-year-old music maestro said.
"If my music has made an impact in the West, it is because it has been projected so effectively in 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Though some of the songs like 'Jai ho', 'O saya' and 'Ringa ringa' are in Hindi, the Americans love them," he added.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q: I don't think any Indian musician has won the Golden Globe award?
A: I see it as an honour for India, not just for me. More to come, hopefully.
Q: The Golden Globe is seen as a precursor to the Oscars.
A: Let's hope so. I've my fingers crossed. When a film and my music get acceptance, it's the equivalent of an Oscar for me. For the people of India to get an Oscar is a big thing. So for their sake more than mine I hope my song "Jai ho" and my music score in "Slumdog Millionaire" win the Oscar.
Q: "Slumdog Millionaire" star Freida Pinto says of the four Golden Globe nominations for the movies, yours makes her the proudest.
A: That is really sweet of her. I was in Los Angeles to have lunch with all the panel members of the Oscars as well as to do press meets and promotion for "Slumdog Millionaire". Some critics in the US say it's one of the best films they've ever seen. It's not just about my music. It's the way Danny has put together the film.
The throbbing pulse of Mumbai has been superbly captured in the film. "Slumdog Millionaire" is about suffering, hope and redemption. If my music has made an impact in the West, it is because it has been projected so effectively. Though some of the songs like "Jai ho", "O saya" and "Ringa ringa" are in Hindi, the Americans love them.
Q: Were you in the US to lobby for an Oscar award for "Jai ho"?
A: It's not about lobbying. It's about letting the jury members meet you, get to know you and decide if the person behind the creation is worth putting a vote for. As an artist, I need to be recognised on a human level. So I needed to go to Hollywood with my song. I met top Hollywood music composers like Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore and Danny Elfman.
Q: And what did they have to say about your music?
A: They made genuinely warm comments about my music in "Slumdog Millionaire". I think they love the Mumbai that they have seen in the film and Danny has made terrific use of my music. The way he has mixed my songs, they are full on, like in a discotheque.
Q: Has Mumbai's image suffered a setback in the US after the Nov 26 terror attacks?
A: Everyone is a bit shaken. Security has been tightened even more in the US. But the way they look at India, our music and cinema is very positive. The image of Mumbai is still intact. I got the right vibes in Los Angeles. A lot of people want to come to India to collaborate in our entertainment industry. Akon and Nelly Furtago are interested. We just need to carry it forward.
“Slumdog Millionaire'' emerged as the big winner with four prizes at Sunday's Golden Globes, best film, best director for Danny Boyle
along with screenplay and musical score.
``Golden Globes, or the GGs as we very affectionately refer to them - your mad, pulsating affection for our film is much appreciated. Really, deeply appreciated,'' Boyle said.
Also among its four nominations was the evening's top honor, best drama, the last award of the night.
``Slumdog Millionaire,'' an underdog story some awards watchers think could become an Oscar favorite, features a generally unknown cast in the story of an orphan boy in Mumbai who rises from terrible hardship to become a champ on India's version of ``Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,'' all the while trying to reunite with a lost love from his childhood.
``We really weren't expecting to be here in America at all at one time, so it's just amazing to be here,'' said Simon Beaufoy, whose winning script was adapted from Vikas Swarup's novel ``Q & A.''
As expected, the late Heath Ledger earned the supporting-actor Globe for his diabolical turn as the Joker in the Batman blockbuster ``The Dark Knight.'' The Globe win boosts Ledger's prospects for the supporting-actor honor at the Academy Awards, whose nominations come out Jan. 22, the one-year anniversary of the actor's death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
The award was accepted by ``The Dark Knight'' director Christopher Nolan, who said he and his collaborators were buoyed by the enormous acclaim and acceptance the film and Ledger's performance have gained worldwide.
``All of us who worked with Heath on `The Dark Knight' accept with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride,'' Nolan said. ``After Heath passed, you saw a hole ripped in the future of cinema.''
Only one actor has ever won a posthumous Oscar, best-actor recipient Peter Finch for 1976's ``Network.''
Other acting winners included Sally Hawkins as musical or comedy actress for her role as an eternal optimist in ``Happy-Go-Lucky''; Kate Winslet as supporting actress for ``The Reader,'' in which she plays a former Nazi concentration camp guard in a romantic fling with a teenager; and Colin Farrell for musical or comedy actor for ``In Bruges,'' in which he plays a hit man laying low in a Belgian tourist town.
Hawkins, a relatively unknown British actress and newcomer to Hollywood's awards scenes, was visibly nervous accepting her prize.
``I'll try and get through as much as my voice and nerves and knees will let me,'' said Hawkins, thanking family, cast mates and collaborators on the film, including director Mike Leigh.
Winslet, who also nominated for best dramatic actress at the Globes with ``Revolutionary Road,'' is a five-time Oscar nominee but has never won.
``You have to forgive me because I have a habit of not winning things,'' Winslet said as she opened what she acknowledged was a long acceptance speech.
``Sorry this is going on a bit, but I'm going to make the most of it,'' she said amid thanking everyone from her children to the film's makeup artists.
The robot romance ``WALL-E'' won for best animated feature. Director Andrew Stanton thanked producer Pixar Animation and distributor Walt Disney, saying the unusual love story between two robots who communicate in beeps and squeaks ``couldn't have been made anywhere else.''
``Vicky Cristina Barcelona'' won the award for best musical or comedy film.
Steven Spielberg was honored with the Globes' Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement, saying he recalled his first trip to the movies at age 6 to see DeMille's ``The Greatest Show On Earth.''
``It was the biggest thing that ever happened to me,'' said Spielberg, noting that he thinks his fate as a filmmaker was sealed that day.
Bruce Springsteen received the best song prize for the title track to ``The Wrestler.''
``This is the only time I'm going to be in competition with Clint Eastwood,'' said Springsteen, referring to the filmmaker who had a song nomination for writing the title tune to his ``Gran Torino.'' ``It felt pretty good, too.''
The foreign-language film prize went to Israel's ``Waltz With Bashir,'' director Ari Forman's animated documentary about a soldier struggling to recall suppressed memories of his involvement in the war with Lebanon.
Among TV categories, ``30 Rock'' won best comedy series, with stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin earning the acting Globes in a musical or comedy.
The 66th annual Globes, the town's second-biggest movie celebration after the Academy Awards, returned to their somewhat boozy glory.
Last year's Globe show was scrapped after stars said they would stay away in honor of picket lines by the Writers Guild of America, which was engaged in a bitter strike against producers. In its place was a briskly paced news conference where winners were announced from a podium.
The Globes serve as a barometer for potential Oscar contenders, often singling out deserving newcomers who might have been overlooked among bigger-name stars. Relative unknown Hilary Swank won for dramatic actress at the Globes for 1999's ``Boys Don't Cry,'' then went on to an upset win at the Oscars over Annette Bening, who had been considered the front-runner for ``American Beauty.'' This year's Oscar ceremony comes on Feb. 22.
The Globes are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of about 90 reporters covering show business for overseas outlets.
Music maestro A R Rahman created history on Sunday night as he became the first Indian to win the prestigious Golden Globe awards
for best original music score for Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire. ( Watch )
The film, with strong Indian connections, emerged as a hot favourite at the Globe, which sets the countdown for next month's Academy awards.
Rahman's song 'Jai Ho,' penned by lyricist Gulzar, was nominated for Best Original Music Score.
'Slumdog' is based on a novel by Indian diplomat Vikash Swarup and stars Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan in lead among others.
Boyle's feel-good film depicts the moving story of a slumdweller Jamaal, who goes on to win USD 20 million on Indian reality show 'Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?' in a bid to win his love back.
FILM
BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
**Slumdog Millionaire
BEST MOTION PICTURE, COMEDY
Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
**Vicky Cristina Barcelona
ACTOR, DRAMA
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
**Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
ACTRESS, DRAMA
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas, I've Loved You So Long
**Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Javier Bardem, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
**Colin Farrell, In Bruges
James Franco, Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman, Last Chance Harvey
ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
**Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson, Last Chance Harvey
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes, The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
**Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
**Kate Winslet, The Reader
DIRECTOR
**Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road
SCREENPLAY
**Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
David Hare, The Reader
Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
**WALL-E
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)