The article which appears below, was originally published on Deccan Herald in February 2009. ©The rights to this material are reserved to the owner. If you have any concerns or comments, please send an email to info@rahmaniac.com.
Music maestro A.R. Rahman made history as he became the first Indian to win two Oscars, as ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, the rags-to-riches story of a boy from the slums of Mumbai, swept the annual Academy Awards. ‘Metrolife’ spoke to ecstatic Bangaloreans, who watched the extravaganza unfold on TV.
British director Danny Boyle’s film won eight Oscars in total, including the best picture and best director, at Sunday night’s prestigious awards ceremony in Los Angeles. India’s Resul Pookutty shared the Oscar with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke in the sound-mixing category. ‘Smile Pinki’, a short documentary by American film-maker Megan Mylan, about a small village girl, whose cleft lip made her a social outcast, won an Oscar too.
Local Artists React
Vasundhara Das (Actress/Singer): “I think it is fantastic that Rahman has won not one, but two Oscars. He and the film totally deserved the awards. The story, screenplay, music, everything about the film was wonderful. He has always worked so hard towards his music that these two Oscars not only represent his work in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ but count for his entire career from day one.”
Rohit Barker (RJ): “Loud and proud about ‘Slumdog’ winning eight Oscars this morning. It was simply amazing to see Indian artistes perform on stage in front of legends like Robert De Niro and Steven Spielberg, and sweeping one Oscar after another. As for A.R. Rahman, he has never looked better, with two Oscars in his hands. I definitely feel that from now on the music industry in India is going to be looked at a lot closer than we were before.”
Kavita Krishnamurthy (Singer): “My husband (L Subramaniam) and I are extremely happy on ‘Slumdog’s win. Especially, A.R. Rahman’s win is such a proud moment for musicians across the country. Indian musicians, both classical and commercial, have received a lot of respect in the West but this win has opened up so many opportunities for musicians and music directors all over the country to make their mark in the West. Finally, the world is becoming a smaller place for music to evolve.”
Gurukiran (Music Director): “Winning Oscars has always been an American dream. So I never thought that an Indian, rather an Indian musician, would win an Oscar. It is truly a proud moment for all of us as now we too can dream of an Oscar. Rahman has become the face of Indian music.”
Suman Ranganathan (Actress): “I have heard great things about ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, unfortunately I haven’t had the time to see the movie. One thing is for sure, Rahman’s songs in the film are excellent. He has always contributed such amazing music for films and he is such a humble personality that I feel he totally deserved to win.”
Suri (Director): “Overall, it is a great feeling to finally bring home an Oscar. Resul Pookutty’s win shows that finally Indian technicians are getting international recognition. But like many others, I too felt that the movie could have shown a better side of India. A.R. Rahman totally deserved to win as he has been proving himself from his very first film as a music director. But then again, he has given far better music for other films, nevertheless I’m happy for the entire ‘Slumdog’ team.”
