The Dolly Theatre in Los Angeles will open its doors for the 95th Oscar Awards on March 12. While Deepika Padukone will be presenting an award at the presentation, India is nominated in three categories: Original Song, Documentary Feature, and Documentary Short.
AR Rahman reflected on his bizarre experience of winning two Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire in 2009 in the video. He had said, “All flawless praise belongs to God alone,” in Tamil as soon as his name was first announced to show his appreciation.
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“Before the Oscars, I attended all these wonderful dinners. Although everyone in India was applauding, I was still unsure. I experienced a gladiatorial feeling. I questioned whether it was really when they said my name as the winner. Is this a dream, or not? A.R., don’t react, I said, reminding him that I had to perform next. These and other things are present. Make sure your performance is flawless “Rahman elucidated.
Rahman had added in his remarks when he was summoned on stage a second time to accept the Best Song award for Jai Ho with Gulzar, “Throughout my life, I had an option of hate or love. I am here because I chose love. God bless you.
When asked to describe the occasion, Rahman recalled, “The second time when they announced my name for the best song, I had said in the speech that the essence of the film is optimism and hope, because the world was going through that economic depression and Slumdog Millionaire was done in a way that anybody who sees it would feel high.”
“Some people have misinterpreted that statement over some religion and this and that, which is not true. This is the state of every artist in the world and that’s what makes them the artist. They want to give and love is about giving, not taking,” he added.
The fact that the iconic dance song from SS Rajamouli’s worldwide hit RRR, Naatu Naatu, is the front-runner in the Original Song category this year makes the Oscars relevant for India. All That Breathes, directed by Shaunak Sen, is up for a Documentary Feature award, while Elephant Whisperers, supported by Guneet Monga, is up for a Documentary Short award.