The 2023 Oscars
Every year, during late winter, everyone turns their attention to one of the biggest cinematic award ceremonies of all time, the Academy Awards – more commonly known as the Oscars.
The Oscars are regarded as one of the most, if not the most prestigious and renowned awards ceremony in the entertainment industry both internationally and in the United States. The ceremony always comes with moments filled with laughter, joy, surprises, and maybe even a hint of disappointment.
This year, on March 12th, the Oscars definitely had some grand surprises. For one, the hit song “Naatu Naatu” from the internationally famous Telugu film, RRR, was awarded in the category “Best Original Song.” This is the first time that a song from an Indian production has been selected and won in this category, making history in the 95th Academy Awards.
But it’s best not to get your hopes up for any more diversity and representation than the bare minimum, as many other South Asians, including myself, did. An enormous amount of controversy is now surrounding the Oscars due to the lack of South Asian representation in the performance for “Naatu Naatu.” Many in the South Asian American dance community are dissatisfied with the result of the performance, as it’s seen as a loss for what could’ve been an even more memorable year for South Asian representation. Furthermore, it was also seen as disrespectful by many Indians to award an Indian song, and then refuse to put Indian people, who created this song, in the performance at all.
On the topic of representation, Everything Everywhere All At Once star Michelle Yeoh also made history as the first Asian actress and second woman of color to win in the category of “Best Actress”. During her speech, she made a memorable comment regarding what a CNN anchor said about politician Nikki Haley being past her “prime”. Yeoh said, “And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you’re ever past your prime”, leaving an impactful statement to add to the history she already created that night.
Regardless of the controversy and drama that surrounds events at the Oscars almost every year, it still manages to bring recognition to a few of the best productions that have been released in 2023; namely, Avatar: The Way of Water, Top Gun: Maverick, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and more. Not to mention the other talented artists who were involved in some of these productions such as Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Brendan Fraser in The Whale. All in all, the Academy Awards remain an eventful and honorable event that brings movie lovers and artists much joy and excitement every year. The 95th Academy Awards, though certainly not controversy or drama free, managed to succeed in fulfilling the expectations of many, and we hope to see many more Oscars like this in the future.
by NIHASHI NAG