Yes, A.R.Rahman and Resul Pookutty have won three Oscars between them. There are debates about this being a British effort, portraying Indian poverty, and Indian fixation for a firangi award. All shit aside, there’s no doubt that we are proud of the two Indians (yeah, that’s the whole point) recognized on a global stage.
More than the awards, I was impressed by the thank-you speeches by both men, and they prove themselves as great ambassadors for the country. In fact, Rahman’s assertion of choosing love over hate should find resonance in the sentiments of many. You made us proud. Thank you.
A.R.Rahman:
Before coming, I was excited and terrified. The last time I felt like that was during my marriage. There’s a dialogue from a Hindi film called "Mere paas ma hai," which means "I have nothing but I have a mother," so mother’s here, her blessings are there with me. I am grateful for her to have come all the way. And I want to thank the Academy for being so kind, all the jury members. I want to thank Sam Schwartz, I/D PR, all the crew of Slumdog, Mr. Gulzar, Raqueeb Alam, Blaaze, my musicians in Chennai and Mumbai. And I want to tell something in Tamil, which says, which I normally say after every award which is ella puhazhum iraivanukke: "God is great." Thank you
A.R.Rahman (For the second Oscar):
I just want to thank again the whole crew of Slumdog Millionaire, especially Danny Boyle for giving such a great opportunity. And the whole, all the people from Mumbai. The essence of the film which is about optimism and the power of hope in the lives, and all my life I had a choice of hate and love. I chose love and I’m here. God bless
Resul Pookutty:
This is unbelievable. We can’t believe this. Ladies and gentlemen… sorry… I share the stage with two magicians, you know, who created the very ordinary sounds of Bombay, the cacophony of Bombay, into a soul-stirring, artful resonance called Slumdog Millionaire.
I come from a country and a civilization that given the universal word. That word is preceded by silence, followed by more silence. That word is "Om." So I dedicate this award to my country. Thank you, Academy, this is not just a sound award, this is history being handed over to me. My sincere and deepest gratitude to my teachers, Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, Paul Ritchie, Pravesh… and everybody who has contributed to this film, Glenn Freemantle and all the sound mixers. I dedicate this to you guys. Thank you, Academy. Thank you very much.