Mar 13, 2023
By: Srishti Magan
Credit: ANI
India walked away with two Oscars at the 95th Academy Awards that took place on Monday. RRR and The Elephant Whisperers won, but All That Breathes, which was also nominated, lost.
Credit: Instagram
Naatu Naatu was the first song by an Indian production to be nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song Category. Composer MM Keeravani and lyricist Chandrabose walked away with an Oscar, beating the likes of Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Diane Warren, among others.
Credit: Twitter
Actor Deepika Padukone presented the song Naatu Naatu at the Oscars ceremony, calling it a “total banger”. Singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava performed the song live on-stage accompanied by a troupe of over 20 dancers. The performance received a standing ovation.
Credit: Instagram
“Two women did this! I’m still shivering” tweeted producer Guneet Monga after The Elephant Whisperers bagged the Oscar for Best Documentary Short. It’s the first film by an Indian production house to win an Oscar, marking the debut of filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves.
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Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes, which won the award for Best Documentary at the Sundance and Cannes film festivals, lost the Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature Film category to Navalny. Here’s a look at this year’s other Oscar winners:
Credit: All That Breathes
Award-season favourite absurdist comedy/sci-fi drama Everything Everywhere All At Once (EEAAO) won the Best Picture Oscar. EEAAO, which takes on the immigration struggle, has seven Oscars, in addition to its one BAFTA, two Golden Globes, and five Critics' Choice awards.
Credit: IMDb
EEAAO director-duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert also took home the Oscar for Best Director, beating the likes of Steven Spielberg, Todd Field, Martin McDonagh and Ruben Östlund.
Credit: Twitter
Brendan Fraser’s emotionally harrowing performance as an obese man reclaiming his life and his relationships with his daughter in The Whale won him the Best Actor award. The other nominees were Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Paul Mescal (Aftersun), Austin Butler (Elvis), and Bill Nighy (Living).
Credit: Twitter
Another favourite of the awards season, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win an Oscar Best Actress award. She won it for EEAAO, beating Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie), Ana de Armas (Blonde), Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans), and Cate Blanchett (Tár).
Credit: Twitter
EEAAO also took home the award for Best Original Screenplay, while Women Talking won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film is adapted from Women Talking, a 2018 novel by Miriam Toews, inspired by real-life events of a community in Bolivia.
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Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front from Germany took home the award for Best International Feature. India’s official nomination, Pan Nalin’s Chhello Show, was shortlisted in the category but didn’t make it to the final five.
Credit: Netflix
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio won the award for Best Animated Feature making Toro the only director to have won an Oscar for Best Director, Best Picture (for The Shape of Water) and for Best Animated Feature.
Credit: Twitter
Actors Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan also won the Best Supporting Actress and Actor Oscars, respectively, for EEAAO. As expected, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water won the award for Best Visual Effects. Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick won Best Sound.
Credit: Twitter