And, the Oscar Goes To…

Agree or not, this is one occasion that makes actors, actresses, and directors' sweat profusely and hearts beat faster, turning some misty-eyed as Oscar Awards, the finest amongst the entertainment awards are announced. Come 9 February, 2020, Oscar Awards will telecast live to global crowds, pegging it as the most-watched showbiz event in the world.

The 92nd Oscar Awards is sure to throw surprises in many ways. With a great deal of riveting movies lined-up for a spread of awards across different categories, this year's entries are all top-notch that deserve a watch. Nonetheless, there are apprehensions that some directors are overlooked and few are conveniently ignored for 'POC' factor coming into play. So much so that this year's Oscar Nominations are shrouded in controversies. Commenting on nominations, one reputed international newspaper puts it as "Very male, very white".

 If we look beyond these happenings, we can marvel at the diversity of movies that took centre-stage. The Best Picture award alone has seen varying movies eyeing for the top slot. 'Joker', 'Ford v Ferrari', 'The Irishman', '1917', 'Little Women', 'Jojo Rabbit' 'Marriage Story', 'Once upon a time in Hollywood' are movies that vouch for riveting screenplays and gripping storylines. Each excels in its own sphere of work; as a result, putting a finger on the winner proves to be a lot dicier. 'The Irishman' story zigzags across time spaces, while 'Ford V Ferrari' is so sublimely shot that one feels transported to the 1960s; topping as the icing is the pulsating grand finale at 'Le Mans', which is surely enough to kick up the adrenaline high. 'Once upon a time...in Hollywood' takes you back to hippy era – long hair, floral shirts, bell-bottoms and the likes, all these, with the added quintessential Quentin Tarantino's directional touch. What comes as a curve ball in this category is the surprise entry 'Parasite'. Directed by Bong Joon Ho, this is the first South Korean film to be nominated for Oscars. Although no actors were picked for Oscars, the movie does script a first in the categories of 'Best Picture', 'Screenplay', 'Editing and Production Design'. It created ripples with its Oscar history! Bollywood has been trying to win a slot here, but unfortunately couldn't make much headway.

Best Actor category

The category has witnessed few Hollywood's bigwigs clashing, Joaquin Phoenix for 'Joker', Leonardo DiCaprio for 'Once upon a time...in Hollywood', and Antonio Banderas for 'Pain and Glory', while Adam Driver for 'Marriage Story' and Jonathan Pryce for 'The Two Popes' are not stepping down either from putting up a fight. And if anything, to deduce from the number of Oscar nominations received and netizens crying praise for best performances, Joaquin Phoenix will have the last laugh. Hang on! There's also talk that Leonardo DiCaprio and Antonio Banderas are in that who-will-win-the-Oscar race. But gloomy clouds loom large over them!

Best Actress category

Its clear five actresses have their eye on the Oscars' Best Actress Award this year. Cynthia Erivo in 'Harriet', Scarlet Johansson in 'Marriage Story', Saoirse Ronan in 'Little Women', Charlize Theron in 'Bombshell', and Renee Zellweger in 'Judy', all have put their best foot forward and now have their fingers crossed. Each of these movies' storyline is different, calling for actresses who would don the role with panache and overwhelm audiences. Based on their acting prowess alone, movie-lovers are craving in their hearts for Cynthia Erivo or Scarlet Johansson to grab the Best Actress award. While Cynthia's movie 'Harriet' is a biopic that underscores the liberation of hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad, Scarlet Johansson's 'Marriage Story' is all about traversing the difficult waters of bicoastal separation and imminent divorce. However, which actress will walk away with the Golden Man in her arms is a question that will probably ring in our heads for some time.

Oscar Surprises!

'Joker' did spring a surprise! With it getting 11 nominations, the intensity of competition from this movie in different categories is appealing too. Todd Philips' story of the clown prince of crime is garnering rave reviews. When premiering at Venice Film Festival, the movie received an eight-minute standing ovation and a Golden Lion award. On different plateau, though the craze for comic book films has been raging across the globe, Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn't been able to win much appreciation in the form of Oscars. However, this time 'Avengers Endgame' got a nomination in the Best Visual Effects Category striking a bit of solace in the hearts of its makers. Scarlet Johansson bagged two nominations. Best Actress for 'Marriage Story' and Best Supporting Actress for 'Jojo Rabbit'. She is the only 12th Actor to receive two nominations.

Oscar Snubs

Like 2015, that tipped the balance in favour of "White", many journalists and artists opine that this time too there's a noticeable tilt. #OscarSoWhite2020 is actually trending. Consequently, this year's Oscar nominations are caught in disagreements as there were a few snubs that didn't go well with movie-lovers. The Best Director category nominations featured only males, turning a blind eye on women directors who shot some very interesting movies. Greta Gerwig's directional flick "Little Women" got the nomination for Best Picture, but was snubbed for the Best Director, while Celine Sciamma was ignored for her riveting direction of 'Hustlers'.

Jennifer Lopez was snubbed for the Best Supporting Actresses Nomination even though she seemed a clear-front runner. Vulnerability fills the hearts of moviegoers as they assumed she might even win an Oscar for her terrific acting skills. She was earlier nominated for BAFTA, Golden Globe, Critic's choice and many others, but unfortunately, for reasons best known to the Oscar jury, she was given a pass. 'A case of 'POC'?' Talking of POC, Eddie Murphy's triumphant return through comedic acting in the Netflix Biopic "Dolomite is my Name" didn't win any nominations either.

Whatever the reason for fame or critique, all said and done, Oscar Awards is still as much a heart-throbbing event as it was many years ago. The event consistently rolling on is gathering more glitter. With global connectivity touching new levels, the reach of Oscar tentacles spreads further, it's not a surprise that we are celebrating the 92nd Oscar Awards - wonder how many still to go?! Anyways, no complaining!