Anubhooti Panda, BeyondHeadlines
All my plans of a lazy weekend were tossed out of the window when the harsh reality of the TV schedule dawned on me. Just when I had woke up in the middle of the day, with sleep still lingering in my eyes, the reminder cells of my brain ignited to tell me… Sunday… 27th February… India v/s England… Day Nighter….
Okay… As far as the result goes… India was relieved not to have lost the match when they seemed completely lost in the field… While the Englishmen were happy that they were not labeled as erstwhile India (you know the one that was capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory)… To cut a long story short… It was a tie… And the World Cup had truly begun and so had the night.
If the match proved to be a sample of what blockbusters scripts should read like, a later that night event (Indian Standard Time :P) was meant to coronate some of the best “motion pictures” made in the previous year. The Oscars proved to be a damp squib though. The hosts, Anne Hathaway and James Franco (me still drooling over his smile!!!) seemed to be trying too hard.
Although I must admit Franco aka Marilyn Monroe, made for a very pretty sight. The only interesting event was perhaps when Melissa Leo (winner of the best supporting actress category) sprinkled her acceptance speech with the F-word. And she, in the process, also got her name recorded in the Oscar history book in yet another category – The First person to use the forbidden F-word on the Academy Award stage.
The Oscars eluded our very own Rehman who was nominated in two categories – Original Score and Original Song (both from Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours). However, there were other things Indian, off the stage and on the Red Carpet to be precise, that caught my fancy.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, in a shimmery avatar and sans hubby Abhishek Bachchan, was seen gracing the Red Carpet. But had not Pa Bachchan tweeted about his son and bahu (daughter in law) getting an Oscar invitation. So where was he? Oh wait, yes right there, just a little lost in the crowd and behind the former Miss World. But what was pleasantly surprising was Mallika Sherawat’s Red Carpet walk. Covered up (Yes, you did read that right) in a beautiful white gown, she looked every bit the “International Star” she is trying so hard to be.
It was a hectic Sunday. Nothing went as expected (except the Oscar winners, that is) and yet there was something amiss. A blockbuster weekend? Well, may be if India had won… But as of now, I would just call it a CRAZY SUNDAY!!!
(Anubhooti Panda can be reached at anubhooti@beyondheadlines.in)
