This refers to “The Elephant Whisperers, Naatu Naatu shine at Oscar awards” (March 14), the historic win of Asian individuals, especially Indians at the Oscar Awards suggests that Hollywood is now more willing to take risks on unique and entirely original projects and those featuring people of colour. This year saw the Hollywood fraternity going all out to honour an Asian movie with an American connection. “Everything Everywhere All At Once” walked away with seven Oscars for the best film, the best director and the best original screenplay. Indian cinema has long been touted as its greatest soft power and the two Oscar wins present the opportunity to expand both its work and market. Except for AR Rahman’s best original song and Resul Pookutty for sound mixing in Dan Boyle’s 2009 “Slumdog Millionaire”, India’s track record at the Oscar had been dismal. RRR and 'Elephant Whisperers' have taken a step towards correcting this imbalance. This is the first time that an Indian language has won the music award. These multicultural wins should pave the way for more artistes to take the global stage.
