According to AR Rahman, India has been submitting the incorrect movies to the Oscars. He thought it was important to send movies to Westerners.
In 2009, AR Rahman joined a select group of Indians who had received an Oscar. While Rahman, lyricist Gulzar, and sound designer Resul Pookutty all entered the club by winning for their work in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, costume designer Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to do so. The composer felt that, in order for India to be taken seriously, the Academy Awards needed to receive the correct kinds of movies. He suggested that we watch our movies from a Westerner’s viewpoint.
Rahman received an invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which organises the ceremony, after his Oscar victories in 2009. The singer-composer has been watching the movies that are eligible and nominated as a regular voter.
With Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, Rahman received nominations in 2011 for both Best Original Song and Best Original Score. This year, the composer provided the musical soundtrack for Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh by Rajkumar Santoshi. Together with the Hindi movies Maidaan and Pippa, Mani Ratnam’s Tamil sequel story Ponniyin Selvan 2 will also be released this year.
