Previous
File
Current
File
'Slumdog'
child actors return to a hero's welcome
Mumbai:
The child actors of the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire
returned here on Thursday to a chaotic but rousing hero's
welcome. The slum children were greeted with sweets and
flowers. Over 500 shantytowns gathered outside the airport
here and danced to the tune of the Oscar-winning score
of the movie to fete the child actors. The child stars
of Slumdog Millionaire were feted like true celebrities
here as the nation celebrated the film's Oscar haul. Armed
policemen and private guards were called in as reinforcement
to ensure the safety and security of the children from
the entrance of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International
Airport. Family members carried the young actors up on
their shoulders to give the crowd a glimpse of the stars.
Mohammad
Azharuddin was ecstatic to be the part of the film and
said if he would speak further, tears will roll down his
cheeks. "Oscar Awards are such a big award and even the
big stars desire to win this award and our film has won
eight awards. So you can imagine how successful our film
has been," Azharuddin said. The two child actors will
receive new homes from the Indian authorities. The kids
along several cast members of the film were flown to Los
Angeles to attend the Academy Awards ceremony, in which
the rags-to-riches romance won 8 Oscars, including best
picture and best director.
Slumdog
kids walking on the red carpet a big statement: Rahman
Chennai:
AR Rahman who won Oscars for best original score and
best original song in the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire'
has said that the Slumdog kids sharing the platform with
Hollywood actors like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie is
a bigger statement than him winning two Oscars. Rahman
returned to his home in Chennai to a rousing welcome early
on Thursday morning. Forty-three-year-old Rahman was received
by friends and fans. "I think the greatest thing that
ever happened which is unbelievable for me is not me winning
Oscar of Resul (Pookutty) or Danny Boyle. It is about
kids who acted in the Slumdog, the middle class and the
slum kids like Azharuddin, Rubina and Ayush. All of them
coming on the red carpet along with Brad Pitt, Angelina
Jolie was the biggest statement ever, so it somewhere
touched the equality of mankind, it is a great statement,"
he said. "There has been a division in mankind always
about religion, race and about rich and poor. And art
is something which makes equal and I love that," he added.
Ace Indian drummer A. Sivamani, who was part of Roots,
Rahman's first music band, said, "He deserves. I am very
happy and very happy as an Indian." The maestro is also
only the fourth in the world ever to have won two Oscars
for the best composition and the best song same year.
Rahman had also been named best composer at the Golden
Globes last month. "Slumdog," which tells of a young man
looking for love and competing for money on the Indian
version of the television game show "Who Wants To Be A
Millionaire", scooped up eight Oscars, including best
motion picture. Despite earlier international credits
such as the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Bombay Dreams",
it is Rahman's work on British director Boyle's "Slumdog"
that endeared him to Western critics. 'Slumdog Millionaire'
bagged the awards--the best Motion Picture of the Year
award, Danny Boyle (best director award), A R Rahman and
Gulzar (Original Song 'Jai Ho'), Rahman (best score),
Resul Pookutty (Sound Mixing), Anthony Dod Mantle (best
Cinematography), Simon Beaufoy (Adapted Screenplay), Chris
Dickens (Film Editing).
Rousing welcome to Resul Pookutty
Mumbai:
Resul Pookutty, who won the Oscar for best sound mixing,
returned to his home to a hero's welcome in Mumbai along
with his wife and Slumdog actor Irrfan Khan. Pookutty,
who hails from Kerala's Kollam district, shared the Sound
Mixing Oscar with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke for his work
in the Danny Boyle film "Slumdog Millionaire". Hundreds
of fans and friends gave a rousing welcome to them outside
the Chatrapati Shivaji Airport. There were banners, placards
and posters all over and slogans of 'Jai Ho' of the song
that fetched three Oscars reverberated at the airport.
Amidst commotion and enthusiastic fans trying to shake
hands with Pookutty and Khan, security personnel had a
tough job to usher them out of the airport. Rahman and
Resul won three Oscars for India as the "Slumdog Millionaire"
juggernaut swept the annual Hollywood awards. "The way
people have come here to welcome us is really great. This
is the biggest award ever. People out there (Oscars) do
recognize talent," said Irrfan Khan.
- Feb 26, 2009
