M A I N   N E W S

‘Hurt Locker’ sweeps Oscars
* Wins 6 Oscars, including best film, ‘Avatar’ 3
* Sandra Bullock best actress in ‘The Blind Side’
* Jeff Bridges best actor for ‘Crazy Heart’

(Left) Jeff Bridges accepts the Oscar for best performance by an actor in a leading role for ‘Crazy Heart’ and Sandra Bullock looks at her Oscar at the Governors Ball following the 82nd Academy Awards on Sunday. — AP/PTI

Los Angeles, March 8
Iraq war movie “The Hurt Locker,” took the Oscars by storm on Sunday, winning six of the major film honours, including best movie and director for Kathryn Bigelow, who became the first woman to win that honour.

The drama about a squad of bomb defusing specialists and the emotional toll war takes on them also secured writer Mark Boal the Academy Award for the best original screenplay, and claimed honours for film editing, sound editing and mixing.

“Hurt Locker” and Bigelow won Oscars over stiff competition from her ex-husband James Cameron, whose sci-fi adventure “Avatar” is the top-grossing movie ever with $2.5 billion at box offices and was seen as a favourite for best movie. The movie earned three Oscars, but in technical categories — visual effects, cinematography and art direction.

Unlike last year, when Mumbai-based potboiler “Slumdog Millionaire” walked away with eight Oscars, including trophies for AR Rahman and Resul Pukutty, it was a blank for India this time. “Kavi”, a short Hindi film about modern day slavery in India, lost out to Danish film “The New Tenants” in the Short Film (Live Action) category. Helvey who shot “Kavi” on a shoe-string budget with an Indian cast and producers, had earlier said that the goal of the film was to “create awareness” about the persisting problem of modern slavery. The 19-minute-long fictional film in Hindi, was the only India connection at this year's Oscars.

Veteran Jeff Bridges claimed best actor, playing a drunken country singer in drama “Crazy Heart”. The son of Hollywood star Lloyd Bridges, held his trophy high over his head, looking to the heavens and thanking his deceased parents.

Sandra Bullock was named best actress for “The Blind Side” in a first for the actress once dubbed “America's Sweetheart” because she won so many early fans in her romantic comedies. But, for “The Blind Side,” she took the part of a real-life, strong-willed mother who helps take a homeless youth off the street and makes him into a football success.

Dark drama “Precious” earned two Oscars, including supporting actress for Mo'Nique and adapted screenplay for writer Geoffrey Fletcher, who became the first African American to claim that honour.

Christoph Waltz won best supporting actor for his turn as a menacing Nazi officer in revenge fantasy “Inglorious Basterds,” which follows a band of American Jews killing their enemies behind lines during WW II. “Up” was named best animated movie, and Argentina's “The Secret in Their Eyes” won best foreign language film.

Multi-starrers get a snub

Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘The Hurt Locker’ became the first lowest grossing film to win big in the Oscar history beating commercially successful films like ‘Avatar’, ‘Inglourious Basterds’ and ‘Un In The Air’ to win multiple awards James Cameron’s 3-D blockbuster ‘Avatar’, which has been hailed as the most successful film ever made, had to make do with just three wins despite being nominated in nine categories.

The film has grossed over $720 million in the US and Canada, and $1.844 billion in other territories for a worldwide total of over $2.564 billion.

On the other hand, Kathryn Bigelow’s Iraq war drama ‘The Hurt Locker’, which made $12 million domestically, has managed to gross only $20 million globally. The Best Film award is generally given to a popular film.

Tarantino’s ‘Basterds’ starring Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt had earned seven nominations including the Best Director and Best Film but managed to win just one trophy that too of Best Supporting Actor to Christoph Waltz.

A powerhouse performance by George Clooney could not save ‘Up In The Air’, which sank without a trace as it failed to win any of the six awards it was nominated for. The actor himself lost out in the Best Actor category to Jeff Bridges. — PTI