Bollywood News and Stories From India

THE SOUND OF GLORY Who would've thought that the boy from the backwaters of Kerala, from a village that only got electricity ten years ago, would make history at the Oscars? 36-year-old Resul Pookutty is the first Indian to bag the best sound mixing Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire. Resul is in a state of disbelief as he is swamped with congratulatory messages from the likes of Angelina Jolie and sound mixers for The Dark Knight and Wall E. "It feels like I've gone from Black to black-out," Resul jokes about his work for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black. "I can't believe that a boy from the backwaters of Kerala is today holding the most coveted statuette. I'm a holding a piece of history in my hand and I'm so glad to have made my country proud." Resul's story could make for a riveting potboiler, as we discover on a trip to his village. It's the rise of young talent from Vilakkupara, a small village near Anchal in Kollam district of Kerala. ...

AR Rahman with his haul of two Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire raises the bar for excellence The name A R Rahman has become a chant by now in America, and the reticent musician is clearly elated. “I am very excited, it (the evening of the 81st Academy Awards) has been a lovely amalgamation of Indian and American people. The love and response that we have received has been immense.” Was he expecting to win? “I was expecting nothing, I had no expectations at all. There had been speculation here that we would not receive the award as the music is very Indian. So I was completely engrossed and concentrating on the performance. When I got the first award I went numb. On receiving the second award I realised the impact. I feel that that this can be seen as a bridge or a starting point for India. People have an aversion to different cultures. That this film has been so hugely accepted by the Americans is a great crossover.” “It totally felt like it was an Indian evening, with the Americans wa...

A R Rahman today became the first Indian to win two Oscars for his scintillating music in "Slumdog Millionaire” which swept the Academy awards Pictures Alicia Keys presents the Academy Award to composer AR Rahman. A R Rahman giving his acceptance speech after winning his 2 Oscars. A.R. Rahman holds up his Oscars for best original song and best original score for "Slumdog Millionaire" backstage at the 81st Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 22, 2009. A R Rahman's performance at the Oscars, complete with Bollywood music and dance, became the highlight of the star-studded event, enthralling Hollywood bigwigs in attendance at the 81st Annual Academy Awards.

Images: Reuters

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire Best Direction: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire Best Original Song: A R Rahman and Gulzar Best Original Score: A R Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire Best Sound Mixing: Resul Pookutty wins for Slumdog Millionaire Best Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle for Slumdog Millionaire

Following is a complete list of winners at the 81st annual Academy Awards, held in Hollywood on Sunday. BEST PICTURE Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight) LEAD ACTOR Sean Penn in Milk LEAD ACTRESS Kate Winslet in The Reader DIRECTOR Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM Departures — Japan SUPPORTING ACTOR Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight SUPPORTING ACTRESS Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Dustin Lance Black for Milk ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire ANIMATED FEATURE Andrew Stanton for WALL-E ANIMATED SHORT FILM Kunio Kato for La Maison en Petits Cubes ART DIRECTION Donald Graham Burt for art direction and Victor J. Zolfo for set decoration on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button COSTUME DESIGN Michael O'Connor for The Duchess MAKEUP Greg Cannom for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button CINEMATOGRAPHY Anthony Dod Mantle for Slumdog Millionaire LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM Jochen Alexander Freydank for Spielzeugland(Toylan...

The 81st Annual Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. Country-wise Television Telecast U.S.A - ABC TV Network on Sunday 22 Feb 2009 at 5:00 - 8.30PM India - Star Movies on Monday 23 Feb 2009 at 6:30 AM & 9:00PM Middle East - Fox Movies on Monday 23 Feb 2009 at 3.00 AM KSA time United Kingdom - Sky Movie/Sky 2 on Sunday 22 Feb at 01:00 AM Canada - C TV on Sunday 22 Feb at 08:00 PM Watch Live Streaming The live telecast of Oscars 2009 is expected to be available on www.oscar.com (the official web site of Oscars) and www.abc.com The live broadcast starts on February 22, 2009 at 5PT/8ET. YouTube Official Channel Of Oscars Oscars has an official YouTube channel and you watch all the official updates and other videos related to Oscars. Point your browser to http://www.youtube.com/oscars to see Oscar’s official YouTube channel.

The new flavour of the West, A. R. Rahman is all set to give a live taste of his musical magic at the Oscars ceremony this year. Rahman along with Sukhwinder has been invited to open the 81st annual Academy Awards night, on February 21 in Los Angeles, with the Oscar nominated song Jai Ho. Meanwhile, Rahman is working on the song to modify it to have it in sync with the live orchestra for his stage performance. And that's not all, ace lyricist Gulzar, who wrote the lyrics of Jai Ho is also expected to make an appearance at the gala award ceremony. Jai Ho along with O Saaya has been nominated in the Best Original Song category this year. Rahman has also been nominated for giving the Best Original Score for Slumdog Millionaire. An ecstatic Sukhwinder tells us, “I’m waiting for an official confirmation, till then I cannot comment on it.” Interestingly, the trio of Rahman, Gulzar and Sukhwinder had earlier worked together on ‘Chaiyya chaiyya’ from Dil Se, which was included in the Denze...

Resul Pookutty Sound designer Resul Pookutty whose work for Slumdog Millionaire has been nominated for the Oscars, says he is the slumdog. "Villakkupara, the village that was home to me received electricity when I was 17. I grew up studying physics by a kerosene lamp, and listening to the 8.30 pm drama show on Aakashvani every Sunday. After graduating from the Film and Television Institute in Pune in 1995, I came to Mumbai. It wasn't easy finding work. I lived in a tiny MHADA flat with eight others in Andheri and walked from Juhu to Andheri station every day. To say that I'm grateful to this movie and to Danny Boyle, isn't putting it lightly," says Resul, who has received a nomination in the Best Sound Mixing category at the Oscars. "I don't have any expectations, but I am certain A R Rahman will bag two trophies," he said. How does he react to critics who say Slumdog Millionaire is not an Indian movie? "The editor, the director and the cameram...

Actor in a leading role Richard Jenkins - THE VISITOR Frank Langella - FROST/NIXON Sean Penn - MILK Brad Pitt - THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Mickey Rourke - THE WRESTLER Performance by an actor in a supporting role Josh Brolin in "Milk" (Focus Features) Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder" (DreamWorks, Distributed by reamWorks/Paramount) Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt" (Miramax) Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage) Performance by an actress in a leading role Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married" (Sony Pictures Classics) Angelina Jolie in "Changeling" (Universal) Melissa Leo in "Frozen River" (Sony Pictures Classics) Meryl Streep in "Doubt" (Miramax) Kate Winslet in "The Reader" (The Weinstein Company) Performance by an actress in a supporting role Amy Adams in "Doubt...

Slumdog Millionaire bagged 10 Oscar nominations at the 81st annual Academy Awards, getting nods for Best Film, Best Adapted Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy), Best Director (Danny Boyle [Images]), Best Original Score (A R Rahman), Best Song (Jai Ho and O Saya), Best Sound Editing (Tom Sayers), Best Sound Mixing (Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty), Best Cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle) and Best Film Editing (Chris Dickens). The Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Dev Patel and Freida Pinto starrer has been getting a lot of raves ever since it made its turns at leading film festivals across the world. It bagged four Golden Globe awards in the same categories as its Oscar nods (and one for A R Rahman for Best Original Score). The film will release in India on January 23. The film has been nominated in the following categories: >> Achievement in Cinematography - Anthony Dod Mantle >> Achievement in Direction - Danny Boyle >> Achievement in Film Editing - Chris Dickens >>...