Rahman nominated for three Oscars, Slumdog for 10
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Agencies Posted: Jan 22, 2009 at 0334 hrs IST
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Indian music director Rahman bagged three nominations for the <i>Slumdog’s</i> 
brilliant
music.Indian music director Rahman bagged three nominations for the Slumdog’s 
brilliant music.

Indian music director Rahman bagged three nominations for the <i>Slumdog’s</i> 
brilliant music.
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MUMBAI: A R Rahman today became the first Indian to get three Oscar nominations 
for his score
in British-Indian movie Slumdog Millionaire which also got the nod in seven 
other categories,
including best film and best director. The film is being released in India 
tomorrow.

Rahman was nominated for best original score while both Jai Ho and O Saya were 
shortlisted for
the best original song. The film also won nominations in cinematography, sound 
mixing, sound
editing and film editing.

With 13 nominations, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, based on a F Scott 
Fitzgerald short
story with Brad Pitt playing a man who ages backward, led the field. Apart from 
best actor for
Pitt and best director for David Fincher, Benjamin Button has also picked best 
supporting
actress nomination for Taraji P Henson and best adapted screenplay for Eric 
Roth and Robin
Swicord. Batman sequel The Dark Knight and the gay-rights saga Milk each got 
eight nominations.

Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire and Milk will vie for best picture at the 
81st annual
Academy Awards on February 22 alongside The Reader and Frost/Nixon. All five 
also have best
director nominations. Australian actor Heath Ledger, who died of an overdose of 
prescription
pills exactly a year ago, was nominated for his supporting role as the 
villainous Joker in The
Dark Knight.

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The Indian hero among the nominees is Rahman, with three nominations — one for 
original score
and two for original songs (Jai Ho and O Saya). “I’m happy to have done India 
proud. But I’m
happier for Boyle, Resul (Pookutty) and every Indian crew member involved in 
the project. It’s
all a team work. I hope we will bring the Oscars home,” Rahman told The Indian 
Express by
phone. “I’m surprised at the same time because I didn’t expect three 
nominations. Credit should
go to Gulzarji who wrote Jai Ho.”

Only two Indians have won the Oscar till date — Bhanu Athaiya (for costume 
design in “Gandhi”)
and Satyajit Ray who was given an honourary Oscar for his contribution to 
films. In 1982,
“Gandhi” was nominated for 11 and won eight.

The Slumdog Millionaire nominations, on the eve of the Indian release of the 
film, turned its
star-studded premiere today at the Imax theatre in Mumbai into a celebration 
party. A beaming
Boyle, introduced, raved about and rooted for his cast and crew, especially the 
six young
actors and his co-director Loveleen Tandan.

“I’m so excited,” Boyle said. “There are so many people behind making the film 
successful whom
I would like to introduce,” he said. His only regret at such a great occasion 
was the absence
of Rahman, who was in Chennai. “It’s sad that Rahman couldn’t be here as he has 
to work on his
next film Dilli 6. Without his music, the film couldn’t have achieved so much.”

The news of 10 nominations took time to sink in. Actor Frieda Pinto found it 
very hard to
believe. “I’m glad I wasn’t standing on the edge of a cliff when I got the 
news. I would have
definitely toppled down with the excitement,” she said.

What makes this film special for Indian film industry is that the cast was 
mostly Indian while
the crew was a mix of Indians and foreigners. “No international director would 
usually take an
Indian for an assistant director, unlike Boyle. The film has everything that 
makes a Bollywood
masala movie. But what made it different was the way Boyle has added multiple 
layer — making it
appealing for both the international and Indian audience,” said actor Irrfan 
Khan, who plays a
minor role in the film.

Tandan echoed that sentiment. “It was the biggest achievement of Indian cinema. 
It’s amazing
that the cast and crew, who were a mix of Indian and international members, 
completed the
shooting in 102 days,” she said. Director-actor Mahesh Manjrekar, who does a 
cameo in the film,
said, “Slumdog Millionaire will make the world take notice of Indian cinema.” 
Dev Patel, the
lead actor, who was full of boyish charm, found the happenings of the evening 
“truly
exhilarating”. 

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rahman-nominated-for-three-oscars-slumdog-for-10/414048/0

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