Director and writer Kiran Rao has shared her feelings on the possibility of having her film ‘Laapataa Ladies’ nominated for the Academy Awards, also known as Oscars.
During an interview with Press Trust of India, Kiran Rao said, “My dream would be fulfilled… if it (Laapataa Ladies) would go to the Oscars. But it’s a process, and I am hoping it will be considered. I am sure the best film will qualify, whoever they (Film Federation India) choose in the scheme of things.”
“Our primary recognition comes from the audience’s response at the box office. If the audience and the nation appreciate our work, that would be the greatest accolade for us”, Kiran Rao added.
The cast of the film includes Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastav Ravi Kishan, Chhaya Kadam, and Geeta Aggarwal Sharma.
Laapataa Ladies was released on Netflix on March 1, 2024.
More than 150 Jewish creatives have signed an open letter supporting Oscar Winner Jonathan Glazer’s pro-Palestine Oscars speech.
The British filmmaker, Jonathan Glazer, who won the Best International Feature Oscar for his film ‘The Zone of Interest’, has been at the centre of an ongoing debate in Hollywood. He was under fire for his pro-Palestine speech at the Oscars. Glazer, who is Jewish himself, has now received support from heavyweight names.
Jonathan Glazer’s speech is continuing to become one of the Oscars’ most debated and polarizing moments after many media outlets called it “anti-semitic” While accepting Best International Feature for his Holocaust film The Zone of Interest, Glazer drew a parallel between his film and the current conflict in Gaza: “Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation, which has led to conflict for so many innocent people – whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza – all the victims of this dehumanisation…”
Now, the director has received fresh and welcome support through a new letter, whose signatories include major Jewish creatives like Nan Goldin, Joaquin Phoenix, Tom Stoppard, Elliott Gould, Debra Winger, Joel Coen, Emma Seligman, Nicole Holofcener, and Boots Riley.
They are among more than 150 Jewish creatives who have signed the open letter supporting Glazer’s Oscars speech, writing that they were “alarmed to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks”.
“In his speech, Glazer asked how we can resist the dehumanization that has led to mass atrocities throughout history,” read the letter. “For such a statement to be taken as an affront only underscores its urgency.”
The letter also criticized the earlier condemnations of Glazer, saying they “have a silencing effect on our industry, contributing to a broader climate of suppression of free speech and dissent, the very qualities our field should cherish.”
“We should be able to name Israel’s apartheid and occupation – both recognized by leading human rights organizations as such – without being accused of rewriting history.”
The letter concluded: “We stand with all those calling for a permanent cease-fire, including the safe return of all hostages and the immediate delivery of aid into Gaza, and an end to Israel’s ongoing bombardment of and siege on Gaza.”
The Oscars, also known as the Academy Awards, are a big deal in the world of movies. They’re like a gold stamp of approval for the best films and performances of the year. Let’s take a look at who took home the top honors at the 2024 Oscars! Best Film : ‘Oppenheimer’ ‘Oppenheimer’ was the big winner of the night, grabbing the prestigious Best Picture award. Best Actor in a Leading Role: Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy gave an outstanding performance in ‘Oppenheimer’ and was rewarded with the Best Actor award. Best Actress in a Leading Role: Emma Stone Emma Stone shined bright in ‘Poor Things’ and earned herself the Best Actress award. Her talent and dedication to her role didn’t go unnoticed, and she rightfully took home this honor.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert Downey Jr. Robert Downey Jr. impressed everyone with his performance in ‘Oppenheimer’ and clinched the Best Supporting Actor award. His portrayal added depth to the movie and earned him well-deserved recognition.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Da’Vine Joy Randolph Da’Vine Joy Randolph delivered a standout performance in ‘The Holdovers’ and won the hearts of the judges, earning her the Best Supporting Actress award. Her talent and presence on screen made a lasting impact. Best Director: Christopher Nola
‘Oppenheimer’ not only won Best Picture but also earned Christopher Nolan the title of Best Director. His vision and skillful direction brought the story to life and made it a standout film of the year. ‘Oppenheimer’ had a night to remember, taking home a total of seven awards. In addition to the ones mentioned above, the movie also won for Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Film Editing. It truly was a remarkable achievement for everyone involved in the making of this outstanding film.
The 2024 Oscars showcased the incredible talent and creativity present in the world of cinema. Congratulations to all the winners for their well-deserved recognition!
Celebrities at the 96th Academy Awards were seen wearing red pins symbolising the call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
These pins represent the stars’ support to Artists4Ceasefire — an open letter signed by celebrities and people from the entertainment industry, urging US President Biden to call for a ceasefire.
The signatories near 400 which include Bradley Cooper and America Ferrera, who are both Oscar nominees this year, as well as Cate Blanchett, Drake, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.
“We’re all calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We’re calling for the safety of everyone involved. We really want lasting justice and peace for the Palestinian people,” Guardian quotes Ramy Youssef from an interview at the red carpet. “We really just want to say, ‘let’s just stop killing children.’ There’s so much there to process and it feels like the easiest way to have the conversations that people want to have is when they’re isn’t an active bombing campaign happening.”
As social media users and human rights activists put out a loud chorus to end the genocide in Palestine, celebrities are also adding their voice. According to Variety, a group of 55 actors which included A-list celebrities like Cate Blanchett, Oscar Isaac, Joaquin Phoenix and Riz Ahmed, have signed an open letter demanding US President Biden to call a ceasefire in Gaza.
The letter includes celebrities like Ayo Edebiri, Muslim comedian and host behind Netflix’s ‘Patriot Act’ Hasan Minhaj, Jeremy Strong, Jessica Chastain, Jon Stewart, Sandra Oh and veteran Hollywood legend Susan Sarandon.
The letter demanded from Joe Biden to open his eyes to the current destruction and chaos in Gaza: “More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.”
“We urge your administration,” the letter further states. “And all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages. Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them.”
The statement also quotes UNICEF spokesperson James Elder who condemned the misuse of international law on how Gazan civilians are stripped of their basic necessities and are living within destruction.
“‘Children and families in Gaza have practically run out of food, water, electricity, medicine and safe access to hospitals, following days of air strikes and cuts to all supply routes. Gaza’s sole power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday afternoon, shutting down electricity, water and wastewater treatment. Most residents can no longer get drinking water from service providers or household water through pipelines…. The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion — and international law — must prevail.’ – UNICEF spokesperson James Elder.”
The letter ends with the signatories calls for everyone to stand for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people. “We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, that we stood by and did nothing. As Emergency Relief Chief Martin Griffiths told UN News, “History is watching.’”
Malala has managed to become an irreplaceable part of national discourse. She hasn’t said anything controversial aside from speaking up on causes close to her heart – gender activism and education – yet the women-hating awaam loves nit-picking every bit of her existence and somehow escalating it to the point that it becomes an emergency national topic. If she laughs too much, shame. Did she say she doesn’t want to get married? Lanat behjo. Malala was spotted celebrating Holi with her friends? Publicly shame her.
Once again without even lifting a finger, Malala was dragged into the public spotlight over the most simple thing: her accent. A video on Twitter went viral where she was seen speaking to a host at the Oscars, and in the caption a user was mocking the Noble Prize activist for having lived in Britain all this time, but still having a Pakistani accent.
Behen ji, would you have not criticised her had she spoken in a British accent? Had she shown up wearing a sleeveless gown and no hijab, would Pakistanis hold back for a second to label her as a traitor, bane of our existence and the reason why women in this country have gone astray? And when did speaking in a fluent British accent become one of the ways to judge aNoble Prize winner? It certainly never has held her back.
Amreeka mein reh kr b, Aik British elite se shaadi kr k b agar Apki angrezi Itni pathetic hai to laanat hai bai Aisi “Training” per ! And idc how many haters I get after this !pic.twitter.com/43lFK7dJ4q
Putting aside the obvious racism that is reeking from this comment, when was the last time the public didn’t drag Malala? If she chooses not to get married: she’s a traitor who is challenging Pakistani values. When she did get married: she betrayed feminist values. Why can’t she ever win with Pakistanis?
Because the simple truth to the entire matter is that our ever firmly anti-woman Bannistan considers hunting famous women a beloved public sport. And Malala is simply forced to bear the brunt of misogynist and racist jokes because she managed to overcome the dead woman trope and is living a complete and happy life in Britain with the rest of her family. When she was fourteen years old, Malala had been shot by the Taliban when she stood up to their regressive stance against girl’s education, and soon had to leave for Britain with the rest of her family because of the death threats she was being sent. Had she not survived this tragedy and had passed away, the country would have declared they are holding ‘Malala Day’ once a year and moaned about how she could have become something had there been a chance, and then moved on to hunting the next famous woman out there.
Malala’s biggest crime isn’t the fact that she wore jeans or got married or even spoke in a Pakistani accent: it’s the fact that she is thriving despite the most powerful forces out there trying their best to take her down. Whether it was the Taliban, or the brutal treatment of Pakistani awaam, we have heard tragedies on a daily basis of the numerous women and girls who lost their lives and their dreams to these two forces. Malala happened to succeed in defeating them, and living peacefully abroad with her goals still intact and remaining cheerful as ever is what irks us so much.
So please, for the love of Allah. We’re on our knees here. Stop obsessing over Malala so much. She won’t give up on doing what she loves, regardless of how much you beg her to do so. Divert the nitpicking to issues like climate change, poverty and political instability. Trust us, its a much more worthy way to waste your time.
There was a wholesome moment at the Oscars when Harrison Ford stepped up to announce the Best Picture award, and the winner was ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’. A viral clip of the moment shows Ke Huy Quan and Ford hugging each other on the stage as the team walked up to receive their award.
It is perhaps not well known that this pivotal moment between Quan and Ford is much more significant than it seems because the two actors had worked together in ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’, Quan’s debut Hollywood project.
Quan had starred as the popular archaeologist’s tiny side kick, Short Round, who helped him find an ancient stone in India which had been stolen by an evil priest. Speaking about his experience in ‘Temple of Doom’, Quan regarded it as one of the happiest moments of his life because he had been able to travel to Sri Lanka.
After the success of the film, Quan went on to act in television series like ‘Together We Stand’, but chose to leave Hollywood as he wasn’t getting any roles that weren’t racist or stereotyped.
It was only after the success of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ that Quan decided to venture back in to acting. Hiring a friend as an agent, he came across the script for ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ and recalled to the Telegraph that he laughed a lot while reading the script: “I laughed so hard and I cried so hard and I told my wife, ‘I think this role was written for me.’”
After watching the Academy Awards last night, twitter users are furious at host Jimmy Kimmel after he had an awkward interaction with Nobel Prize winner and education activist Malala Yousafzai.
First calling her ‘Malalaland’ at the ceremony, Kimmel then asked her opinion on whether Harry Styles spat on Chris Pine at the premier of All My Darlings.
To which the Pakistani-origin activist had responded: ‘I only talk about peace”
Jimmy Kimmel awkwardly asks Nobel Peace prize winner Malala about Harry Styles getting spit on pic.twitter.com/q8LZLedtOc
Twitter users called Kimmel ‘racist’ for using the word ‘Malalaland’ and called him a horrible host. He was also branded insensitive for undermining the work of brown women by also having previously tried to tamper with Quinta Brunson’s speech while she was was receiving the award for ‘Best Writing in Comedy’ at the Oscars.
Hollywood’s biggest night of the year was dominated by Asians, with some of the biggest global celebrities like Deepika Padukone, activist Malala Yousafzai, and Michelle Yeoh lending their star power to the Oscars.
Jimmy Kimmel hosted the show and of course, addressed the Will Smith-Chris Rock slapping controversy from last year’s ceremony. Kimmel started his monologue by saying, “If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence, you will be awarded for Best Actor and permitted a 19-minute speech.”
#Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel comments on the Oscar slap from last year:
“If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence, you will be awarded for Best Actor and permitted a 19-minute speech.” pic.twitter.com/KK6adMCmoF
Yeoh’s speech moved social media users to tears for encouraging women to never think they are past their prime for achieving their dreams:
“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dreams do come true. Ladies don’t let anyone tell you that you’re past your prime.”
Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan for ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
“My journey started on a boat. I ended up in a refugee camp … They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream!” – Ke Huy Quan #Oscarspic.twitter.com/eyGbfwgLhX
Quan and Yeoh made history as the first time two Asian-American actors had won one of the big four awards at the Academy Awards in the same year. In his speech, he said, “My mom is 84 years old, she’s at home watching. Mom- I just won an Oscar! My journey started on a boat. I ended up in a refugee camp…They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream!”
Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
Capping what has been a productive year for Pakistani entertainment, local documentary “As Far As They Can Run” has been shortlisted for the Oscars.
This brings the tally of Pakistani films receiving international acclaim and getting a nomination at the Oscars to two.
The team behind Joyland made the country proud by garnering critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival and other prestigious venues, and then getting shortlisted for an Oscar nomination. And now the Pakistani documentary ‘As Far As They Can Run’ too is up for the prestigious award in the ‘Documentary Short Film’ category. It explores the lives of three differently-abled adults who join a running program in Pakistan, hoping that they might change perspectives of differently-abled people in their hometown.
The last time a Pakistani filmmaker had won an Oscar was in 2016 by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy for her film “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” which explores the custom of honor killings in Pakistan. Filmmaker and Producer behind the documentary Ziad Zafar shared the news from his Twitter account, where he said that he was thrilled to be part of this film and asked his followers to send him good luck. Fans can watch the documentary on Paramount Plus.
