In the video, AR Rahman revisited his surreal experience of winning two Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire in 2009. When his name was called for the first time, he had expressed his gratitude with a line in Tamil, which means, “All perfect praise belongs to God alone.”
“I went to all these amazing dinners before the Oscars. But still, I was unsure, and the whole of India was cheering. I felt like, a gladiator. When they announced my name for the score, I was like, “Is this real? Or is this a dream? And because I had to perform next, I was like “A.R., don’t react. There’s this and more. Don’t mess up your performance,” Rahman shared.
When Rahman was called on stage for the second time to receive the Best Song award with Gulzar for Jai Ho, he had said in his speech, “All my life, I had a choice of hate and love. I chose love and I’m here. God Bless.”
Recalling the moment, Rahman said, “The second time when they announced my name for the best song, I had said in the speech that the essence of the film is optimism and hope, because the world was going through that economic depression, and Slumdog Millionaire was done in a way that anybody who sees it would feel high.”
“Some people have misinterpreted that statement over some religion and this and that, which is not true. This is the state of every artist in the world and that’s what makes them the artist. They want to give and love is about giving, not taking,” he added.
This year is significant for India at the Oscars as Naatu Naatu, the hit dance track from SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster RRR, is the frontrunner in the Original Song category. Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes is nominated for Documetary Feature award, while Guneet Monga-backed Elephant Whisperers is competing in the Documentary Short category.
