95th OSCAR AWARDS 2023 AND A SPECIAL PLACE FOR INDIA
Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles, United States was the venue for the 95th Academy Awards, also known as the Oscar Awards, on March 12, 2023. The event was held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to bestow honour on the films released in 2022.
The award ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, an American television host who had earlier hosted the 89th and 90th editions of the Oscar ceremonies in 2017 and 2018 respectively. The highlight of the ceremony was the best original song bagged by “Naatu Naatu” from RRR.
With the resounding announcement of “Naatu Naatu” being the best original song, the movie RRR directed by SS Rajamouli has scripted history by becoming the first feature film of India to win an Oscar. It is pertinent to mention here that the “Naatu Naatu” soundtrack was composed by MM Keeravani while the credit for its lively lyrics goes to Chandrabose. Bollywood’s top actress Deepika Padukone was the one who introduced the energy-packed performance of “Naatu Naatu.”
“Naatu Naatu” has been sung by two singers, Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj, who performed live for the guests at the ceremony. Oscar award represents the winning streak for “Naatu Naatu” as it earlier won the Golden Globe Award, Critics Choice Award as well as Hollywood Critics Association Award.
Another highlight of the Oscar was the best documentary short movie, The Elephant Whispers, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Kartiki Gonsalves herself along with Guneet Monga. The movie showcases a family’s affinity for an orphaned baby elephant.
“EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE” DOMINATED ALMOST EVERYTHING AT THE OSCARS
A film by the name of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” stole the show by winning a total of seven Oscars while it was nominated in eleven categories. Despite being a low-budget movie, the film dominated the Oscars night. This American movie belongs to the absurdist comedy-drama genre.
The storyline revolves around an immigrant family juggling the financial crisis and strife between generations. Interesting to note here is that Everything Everywhere was made on a budget of 25 million dollars while it did a business of 108 million dollars. The film won Oscars for best editing, picture, director, actress, supporting actress, and supporting actor along with the original screenplay.
In the Best International Film Category, “All Quiet on the Western Front” won the award. “Avatar: The Way of Water” clinched the Oscar for Best Visual Effects while “Top Gun Maverick” was awarded for the best sound. The best actress award was won by Michelle Yeoh for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” She has become the first Asian woman to win this award.
THE OSCARS RED CARPET OVERHAULED
Amusing to see was the colour of the runner at the Oscars venue. Since 1961 Oscars night witnessed a spread of red carpet but this year a champagne-coloured carpet replaced it. The host Jimmy Kimmel joked that replacing the red carpet assures that there will not be any bloodshed.
The Oscars Awards hired the services of the Met Gala creative team led by Lisa Love. On being questioned about the carpet colour choice for the Oscars, she explained that the chosen colour represents the sunset just before the golden hour. However, the carpet caused problems for the organizers since it started to get untidy much before the renowned film personalities arrived at the event.
There was an era when the Oscars night had a large viewership of around forty million. But the preceding two years have witnessed a contraction in its viewership which is less than twenty million. The viewership for all major movie award shows has dwindled.
Two prime reasons are cited for it, firstly the way we watch television today has undergone a drastic change. Many people prefer OTT services over cable and not all OTT platforms stream award shows. Secondly, it is opined that people are unable to connect with the nominees.
According to Hill-Harris X and YouGov polls, people do not appreciate actors giving their opinions on politics and the viewers feel irritated. Racist views presented by stars are also not taken well by the audiences.
One such incident happened in 2018 when Michael Che at the Emmy Awards gave some bizarre opinion about only white people who have gratitude for Jesus being republicans. The causes behind the declining popularity of award shows are many but the successful way of their revival is yet to be discovered.
