Will Sangh Parivar scuttle Payal Kapadia shot at Oscars ?

 

Kerala’s Shenoy Theatre  Kochi and Rana Daggubatti Spirit Media are making it possible for Cannes Grand Prix winner All We Imagine as Light to enter the Oscars as an Indian entry. We had written about how an Indian film is going to be Oscar entry as France’s read https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2024/09/modi-stalin-vie-to-host-rajini-50th.html) and Kerala reactions to the Cannes win ( https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2024/05/kerala-story-of-indias-win-at-cannes.html ) . Now what we dread is the political play that will likely play out when the film comes before the FFI ( Film Federation of India ) jury.

The reason for the film  to need a release in India is  that Oscars rule says that film in Foreign Language category should have 7 days screening and as paid ones at a theater in a country of origin or another eligible country, provided it is not USA. It should also have a release before September 30^th. Now the film is releasing in France only in October first week and so it cannot be submitted from that country. Instead, France has presented Emilia Perez which won the Jury prize. As the film has Malayalam – Hindi dialogue and fulfill the condition that more than 50% of track should be non-English and that one of the Producer is an Indian, the film with a Malayalam title will get released on September 21 in Shenoys. It will fulfill the rule that the film should be released before September 30 this year.

To beat the deadline, the film was certified on September 10^th and now the iconic Kochi theatre has come forward. Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Azeez Nedumangad are the three Malayalee actors in the film.

Now fulfilling this condition is not enough. For 86^th Academy Award, we overlooked The Lunchbox which was nominated at BAFTA and send The Good Road. In 95^th Academy award we send The Last Show and bypassed SSR RRR which was already creating waves in the West. RRR came with Best Original Song.

As a twitterati Yellow stone Dragon posted - Imagine if after everything that's happened, the desi jury sends...say Article 370 instead of All We Imagine as Light as India's Oscar nominee. Coz we did send Jeans that one year. And, also Reshma Aur Sheera before that.

Distributors generally treat such films as one for niche audience and do not buy them and no production company comes forward to bankroll such films. However given that Payal in 2015 as student of Pune Film Institute had gone on a hunger strike over appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as President, she was suspended and the money that was due to her as scholarship was not given . She had to move the court to get it. The jury could go by this background and not the Cannes story.

After the Grand Prix win, PM Modi and including Gajendra ( not anymore in FTII) had praised Payal. Joining the chorus was Madhavan present FTII President. Wonder why commie friends in Kerala did not open up State owned theatres for this film ? Anyway as we can hope now= jahanbakshi on X posted this :

 

Men behind Oscar winning song tells all

Tamil version lyric writer on Keeravani preference of songs

 At the 95th Academy Awards, RRR's Naatu Naatu won the award for Best Original Song. MM Keeravaani, the music composer, accepted the award alongside Chandrabose, who wrote the lyrics for the Telugu version, while the Tamil version's lyrics, titled Naatu Koothu, were penned by Madhan Karky. Madhan expressed his excitement about the historic win, stating that the song was much more than just a song. He praised director Rajamouli's ability to incorporate various elements of a film within the song, such as conflict, oppression, friendship, romance, and sacrifice. Madhan credited SS Rajamouli and Vijayendra Prasad for conceptualizing the song and acknowledged Keeravaani's efforts in composing the music, despite his preference for melodies over peppy numbers. He also praised Chandrabose's raw and rustic lyrics, Prem's choreography, and Ram Charan and Jr NTR's high-spirited dancing for contributing to the song's success. Madhan concluded by expressing his happiness about the achievement.

Keeravani and The Carpenters reference in acceptance speech

In an unusual twist, numerous media organizations misinterpreted Keeravani's speech and confused his reference to The Carpenters with actual professional carpenters. Some even published headlines such as 'Keeravani's musical inspiration came from carpenters'. This has resulted in severe backlash on social media, with many calling for the media to exercise greater responsibility.

The acceptance speeches of Oscar winners often attract a lot of attention, ranging from emotional to awkward. In 2009, AR Rahman made history as the first Indian composer to win an Oscar, and he ended his speech with the famous Tamil phrase, "Ella Pugazhum Iraivanukke," which means "All perfect praise belongs to God alone." It was a moment of pride for Indians worldwide, as Rahman chose to speak in his mother tongue on such a prestigious international stage.

Recently, when the song "Naatu Naatu" from the Indian production RRR won the Best Original Song award, all eyes and ears were on composer MM Keeravani's speech. The veteran musician gave his own version of "Top of the World," a classic by the American band The Carpenters, saying, "I grew up listening to The Carpenters, and now here I am with the Oscars," before playfully starting to sing.

Yazin who sung the Tamil and Malayalam version talks about the win

Yazin Nizar, the singer for the Tamil and Malayalam renditions of the song, is overjoyed by the historic victory. He expressed, "I am thrilled for Keeravani sir. He has dedicated so many decades to his craft, and it is truly satisfying to witness him receive recognition on the esteemed platform of the Oscars."

Although almost two years have passed, Yazin vividly recalls the recording sessions and the guidance he received from director SS Rajamouli. "During the recording of 'Naatu Koothu', the Tamil rendition of 'Naatu Naatu', Rajamouli sir was present. At first, when I sang, there was a bit of a rough feel to it. He approached me and advised me to sing with more power. I understood the reason behind his meticulousness when I saw the stunning energy in the visuals. That's one thing about these professionals, they consistently exceed our expectations," says Yazin, who previously collaborated with the same team on the Malayalam version of Baahubali 2.

Rahul Sipligunj, who recently performed the Oscar award-winning Naatu Naatu at the Academy Awards ceremony, met  global pop star Rihanna.The single "Lift Me Up" by Rihanna, from the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, received a nomination in the Best Original Song category. During the awards ceremony held on Sunday night, Rihanna also performed her song.

Rahul expressed his excitement on social media after meeting the Barbadian singer, stating, "I am in awe after meeting an amazing lady with a beautiful heart. Rihanna, your humbleness and down-to-earth personality left me in shock! Thank you for your call and appreciation for our performance and our Oscar win. It's an emotional moment for me, a dream come true."

Apart from his singing career, Rahul Sipligunj is all set to make his acting debut in Krishna Vamsi's upcoming movie, Rangamarthanda, where he will be appearing alongside Shivatmika Rajashekar. Rangamarthanda is the official Telugu remake of the Marathi movie Natsamrat (2016) and features Brahmanandam, Prakash Raj, and Ramya Krishnan in pivotal roles.