The Oscar Orgy

This evening millions around the world will turn on their television sets to watch a red carpet orgy "Live". An annual showcase of pomp and pageantry that has become a global event purely because of the might of the American media to "shove it down" through the air waves. While movies and people who make them are pitted against each other and crowned in a run off, it is hard to ignore that the Oscars are primarily about American cinema and films made in the English language, overwhelmingly by a white community. The token black actor or the occasional surprise and the foreign film category attempt to give it an international flavor, but in no sense of the word is it an international affair. The only thing that makes it global is the viewing audience. At the end of the day the event is merely a network TV show with premium advertising, where you get to see your favorite actors outside of their screen persona, showing of their beautiful made up faces and clothes, like gods and goddesses descended from the heavens.

This year “Slumdog Millionaire” attempts to add international flavor to the Oscars even though it’s a British production with some Indian talent lucky to be nominated. Most often the majority of the awards are shared between the Americans, the British and recently the Australians.

The great American actor George C. Scott was nominated twice and won it once for his role as the war general Patton. He never attended the gala and declined to accept the award as he felt the whole process forced actors to become stars and the ceremony was little more than a "meat parade." He found the whole notion of pitting actors against each other to proclaim one a winner, absurd and obscene. He famously said "the ceremonies are a two-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons." Unlike Marlon Brando who declined to accept the award for political reasons, George C. Scott had strong personal convictions about the hoopla and rightly so. But then he was George C. Scott a titan in his own right.

The Oscar podium provides a great forum for people to voice their opinion about what’s wrong with the world. But seldom do you find people taking advantage of that. For most people the award is a badge that furthers their career, so movie trailers can use the term “Academy Award Winner/Nominated” to sell their movies.

I have been guilty of watching the Oscar orgy many times. Partly because I am a filmmaker and have been a movie buff all my life. At the same time I am a documentary filmmaker and have always felt discriminated and am happy to have a documentary category at the Oscars. Even so like many in the biz and outside the biz I dream of making a feature film one day. Ironically the pain and glory of working with actors and telling a fictional story is rewarded more in the culture we live in. For all the criticism I would not mind having gold on my mantle someday.

At the back of my mind, I understand and am aware of the power of movie stars and the celebrity meat culture that poisons our world and pushes its way into our subconscious. Like many who live in a TV/internet infested world, I am a victim of this media incursion. At the same time I talk about movies all the time with great passion. Even though I find the cult of celebrity misplaced in the world we live in, most probably I will be watching the ceremony tonight rooting for “Slumdog Millionaire” and A.R.Rahman. It is what it is.