*Better late than never* Joy would have been unconfined had Gulzar and AR Rahman been nominated for the Oscars for a film directed by an Indian, feels Sophia Loren. The screen goddess provides Ranjan Das Gupta a list of Indian films that should have won the coveted award long ago
'Hi! Did you not interview me last year on Mrinal Sen? How is Mrinal? Convey him my regards," Sophia Loren exclaims. The screen goddess is very happy to receive the news of two Indians ~ Gulzar and AR Rahman being nominated for the Oscars this year. She carries on, "They must be very talented though I have never heard of them. How good are their earlier works?" Sophia Loren feels some of the best films ever made are from India. She carries on, "Hollywood came to appreciate Indian cinema by viewing the works of Satyajit Ray. His films, especially Apu Trilogy, Devi, Mahanagar and Charulata, are at par with the most memorable films of the 1950s and 1960s. Even Mrinal Sen's Bhuvan Shome and Calcutta 71 are of international standard. Within the constraints and limited budgets, the way Ray and Sen directed films remains a wonder to many." On being explained at length about the works of Gulzar and AR Rahman, she smiles, "I wish these enterprising personalities all the best. If their works have been nominated, they definitely must possess quality. But, there is many a slip between the cup and the lip. At the last moment there can be dissatisfactory results. They should be mentally prepared for both the optimistic as well as pessimistic results." Why does the Oscar-winning actress, who set the screen on fire with her mind blowing performances in Two Women, Voyage and Sunflower, feel unsure about the Oscars? She carries on, "Honestly, I have not yet watched Slumdog Millionaire. Only after viewing it will I be able to comment about the creative abilities of Mr Gulzar and Mr Rahman. Decisions at the final level of the Oscars are not always impartial. Otherwise how is it that Peter O' Tool and Richard Burton never got any Oscar for their umpteen startling performances? Could the Oscars not go to Peter for Lawrence Of Arabia and to Richard for Night Of The Iguana?" Gregory Peck had resigned as chairperson of the Oscar committee in 1967, strongly protesting certain practices at the Oscars. Even Marlon Brando sent a Red Indian to collect the Oscar on his behalf for Godfather. Supporting them Sophia adds, "They were actors with backbone and never compromised on ethics. I am very sorry to say that many of today's actors lack such ethics." She is of the opinion that some films of Satyajit Ray and, of course, Mrinal Sen's Bhuvan Shome were competent enough to receive the Oscars. Justifying her view, she says, "The subtlety of Apu Trilogy, the poignancy of Charulata and the gruesome reality of Bhuvan Shome of course deserved the Oscars. Two Hindi films I remember seeing are Mother India and Guide. These also, if trimmed and with less songs, would have had better chances for the coveted Oscars." Sophia Loren remembers, "Sir Richard Attenborough's Gandhi was very well made but it did not show the other hero, Subhash Bose, at all. Perhaps it was because Bose advocated militant revolution against the ruling British. It won the Oscar even with this major flaw. But Longest Day, perhaps the best war film made after All Quiet On The Western Front, did not receive a single Oscar. What nonsense!" She encourages the duo of Gulzar and AR Rahman and at the same time questions whether they can ever come up with the quality of work Maurice Jarr, Mino Rotsa and Sonny Burke did in Hollywood. She ends by saying, "The British director Danny Boyle will be the true bridge for the duo to win the Oscars, if they do. I would have been happier and considered it fully honest had their works, under Indian directors, got the same appreciation. Mr Boyle, I am sure, must be conducting his field work very intelligently, like the British generally do." http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=19&theme=&usrsess=1&id=243945 -- regards, Vithur
