'Slumdog Millionaire' Sweeps 8 Oscar Awards

It's no longer news that the Indian film industry churns out a mindboggling range of movies in various languages. The Indian film industry popularly known as Bollywood, has always made its presence felt on the global map. However, today, India has made a strong statement in Hollywood by bagging some of the most vied positions. 'Slumdog Millionaire' is a film that has made a strong impact on the minds of the people not only in India, but around the world as well.

The 81st Academy Award held on Sunday, 22nd February 2009, in Hollywood has given India the much needed attention and global presence in the film industry. India has had previous entries being nominated for the Oscars ('Mother India', 'Salaam Bombay', and 'Lagaan'). This time, India has 8 reasons to cheer with 'Slumdog Millionaire' fetching 8 prestigious awards of the most prominent film awards - the Academy Awards. Although initially, 'Slumdog Millionaire' did receive mixed reactions from people particularly in India which created a controversy of sorts, one cannot ignore the rage it has created worldwide. The Oscar dream that seemed to remain only as a dream for Indians, this has finally turned into a reality for movie enthusiasts and filmmakers of India. Here's a quick look at 'Slumdog Millionaire's' winning streak at the Oscar night.

A perfect figure of 8 out of 10 for 'Slumdog Millionaire':

• Best Direction - Danny Boyle
• Best Music (Song) - 'Jai Ho' (Music by A.R. Rahman and lyrics by Gulzar)
• Best Music (Score) - A.R. Rahman
• Best Sound Mixing - Resul Pookutty, Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke
• Best Film Editing - Chris Dickens
• Best Cinematography - Anthony Dod Mantle
• Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
• Best Picture - Christian Colson

With the 81st Academy Awards, A.R. Rahman brings home 2 Oscar Awards. A musical genius we are already aware about, A.R. Rahman fans across India are elated to hear about his win. Many ecstatic fans feel this was long overdue! Kerela born, Sound Engineer Resul Pookutty, overwhelmed with the Oscar Award has dedicated it to India.

Bringing the prestigious Oscar trophy home has been a dream for many talented people from the movie industry as well as film enthusiasts. On this note, we can surely hope 'Slumdog Millionaire' paves the way for many such professionals in India who wish to make a mark on the global map. 'Jai Ho'!