After Globe A R Rahman eyes Oscar win

Slumdog Millionaire also won Golden Globes for best motion picture-drama, best director motion picture award for Danny Boyle and best screenplay motion picture for Simon Beaufoy.

Boyle's film depicts the heart-warming story of an orphan Jamaal, who goes on to win the Indian version of popular game show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? to get his love back.

The film was adapted from Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's novel 'Q and A' by screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, best known for 1997 hit 'The Full Monty."

The film also starred Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan.

A drama about Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon was named best foreign movie and Australian Heath Ledger earned a posthumous award as best supporting actor.

Ledger's prize for his role as The Joker in the Batman drama The Dark Knight came almost a year after he died from an accidental drug overdose in New York last January.

The award for Ledger had been widely expected and cements his status as the hot favourite to win the the equivalent prize at the Oscars Feb 22. He would become only the second ever person to win a posthumous Oscar.

"All of us who worked with Heath on The Dark Knight accept with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride," said the film's director Chris Nolan. "After Heath passed, you saw a hole ripped in the future of cinema."

The acclaimed animated romance WALL-E was named best animated film, while little-known Sally Hawkins won the prize for best-actress prize in a musical or comedy for her role as a perky teacher in Happy-Go-Lucky.

Also among the early winners were Kate Winslet, who won a best supporting actress prize for her role as a former Nazi in The Reader. Bruce Springsteen won the award for best movie song for his music in The Wrestler.

The success of Slumdog ..., which has received numerous critical awards, was all the more potent since it had originally struggled to find a distributor in the US. "We really weren't expecting to be here in America at all at one time, so it's just amazing to be here," said screenwriter Simon Beaufoy.

The Golden Globes, sometimes called Hollywood's biggest party, marked a stark contrast to last year's drab affair when a picket threat from the striking screenwriters union reduced the usually lavish affair to a functional press announcement.

From lifetime achievement award winner Steven Spielberg to Jennifer Lopez who opened the show in a shimmering gold dress, the Beverley Hills Hilton was filled with a roster of the biggest names in the movie and television world.

Coming into the show the leading nominations were Brad Pitt's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, about a man born old who grows young and Frost/Nixon, about a series of revealing television interviews of the notorious US president, both of which were nominated for best drama. Doubt, starring Meryl Streep in a searing tale about the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, also claimed five nods.

Other best drama nominees were The Reader, a WWII-based drama about a romance between a young law student and a female SS guard, and Revolutionary Road starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in a drama about the challenges facing 1950's suburbanites.

The nominees for best musical or comedy were the Abba-based musical Mamma Mia!, Burn After Reading, Happy-Go-Lucky, In Bruges and Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

The best foreign language nominees were Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany), Everlasting Moments (Sweden), Gomorrah (Italy), I've Loved You So Long (France), and Waltz With Bashir (Israel).

Presenters included the Jonas Brothers, Hayden Panettiere, Martin Scorsese, Drew Barrymore, Sacha Baron Cohen, Salma Hayek, Jessica Lange,Amy Poehler and Seth Rogen, as well as Ricky Gervais, Johnny Depp, David Duchovny, Megan Fox, Eva Longoria, Sting, Sean Combs and Mark Wahlberg.

"For the people of India to get an Oscar is a big thing. So for their sake, more than mine, I hope my song Jai ho and my music score in Slumdog Millionaire win the Oscar," Rahman said before the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.

Hollywood music composers like Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore and Danny Elfman have been impressed by the score Rahman has composed.

"They made genuinely warm comments about my music in Slumdog Millionaire. I think they love the Mumbai that they have seen in the film and Danny has made terrific use of my music. The way he has mixed my songs, they are full on, like in a discotheque," The 43-year-old music maestro said.

"If my music has made an impact in the West, it is because it has been projected so effectively in Slumdog Millionaire. Though some of the songs like Jai ho, O saya and Ringa ringa are in Hindi, the Americans love them," he added.

Excerpts from the interview:

I don't think any Indian musician has won the Golden Globe award?
I see it as an honour for India, not just for me. More to come, hopefully.

The Golden Globe is seen as a precursor to the Oscars.
Let's hope so. I've my fingers crossed. When a film and my music get acceptance, it's the equivalent of an Oscar for me. For the people of India to get an Oscar is a big thing. So for their sake more than mine I hope my song Jai ho and my music score in Slumdog Millionaire win the Oscar.

Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto says of the four Golden Globe nominations for the movies, yours makes her the proudest.
That is really sweet of her. I was in Los Angeles to have lunch with all the panel members of the Oscars as well as to do press meets and promotion for Slumdog Millionaire. Some critics in the US say it's one of the best films they've ever seen. It's not just about my music. It's the way Danny has put together the film.

The throbbing pulse of Mumbai has been superbly captured in the film. SlumdogMillionaire is about suffering, hope and redemption. If my music has made an impact inthe West, it is because it has been projected so effectively. Though some of the songs like Jai ho, O saya and Ringa ringa are in Hindi, the Americans love them.

Were you in the US to lobby for an Oscar award for Jai ho?
It's not about lobbying. It's about letting the jury members meet you, get to know you and decide if the person behind the creation is worth putting a vote for. As an artist, I need to be recognised on a human level. So I needed to go to Hollywood with my song. I met top Hollywood music composers like Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore and DannyElfman.

And what did they have to say about your music?
They made genuinely warm comments about my music in Slumdog Millionaire. I think they love the Mumbai that they have seen in the film and Danny has made terrific use of my music. The way he has mixed my songs, they are full on, like in a discotheque.

Has Mumbai's image suffered a setback in the US after the Nov 26 terror attacks?
Everyone is a bit shaken. Security has been tightened even more in the US. But the way they look at India, our music and cinema is very positive. The image of Mumbai is still intact. I got the right vibes in Los Angeles. A lot of people want to come to India to collaborate in our entertainment industry. Akon and Nelly Furtago areinterested. We just need to carry it forward.

Vijay Singh, CEO of Star Fox Studios, which is all set to release the film in India on January 23,2009 said, that he spoke to Rahman soon after winning the Best Original Music score award for Jai Ho, penned by lyricist Gulzar.

"He (Rahman) told me that this is a gift for India," Singh said.

Last week on his birthday (January 6,2009) before leaving for Los Angeles, Rahman told reporters via video conferencing from Chennai that he wanted to win the award for India.

"Personally for me, it would be surprising if I win. But, I want to win it for India," Rahman had said.

"It is a proud moment for all Indians. The film has won four awards - best picture, director, screenplay and original music score. The story touches the hearts of Indian film watchers. It is about hope, overcoming all odds and believing in your love," Singh said.

Bollywood singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan said, "Rahman is truly the king, the leader. He is one of the finest composers of this country. He has carried India's name on the global map and has achieved something which no one from this country could do. He deserves every award that exists."

Music director Pritam said he was overjoyed to hear the news about Rahman's success. "Rahman is the best. He has made India proud," he added.

Actor Jackie Shroff, expressing happiness after the film won the awards, said, "Rahman's win is special. India deserves to be on the top. Such an honour is never too late."