Click to play videoNew Delhi: After bagging four Golden Globes and 11 BAFTA nominations, Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle's rag-to-riches story about the coming of age of a Mumbai slum child has bagged 10 Oscar nominations this year.
Slumdog has been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy), Best Picture, Best Original Score (A R Rahman), Best Song (One each for Jai Ho and O Saya), Best editing, Best Sound Mixing (Resul Pookutty), Best Sound Editing (Resul Pookutty), Best Cinematography and Best Director (Danny Boyle) at the Oscars.
Slumdog Millionare has already bagged four coveted Golden Globes and multiple Bafta nominations.
The nominations were announced at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Samuel Goldwyn Theatre by Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker. The awards will be announced on February 22 at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.
"It's unbelievable. We've got 10 nominations and three are extraordinarily special because they are for A R Rahman who is not here because he's working on Dilli 6 in Chennai right now," said Danny Boyle at a press conference organised in Mumbai.
"The film is about this extraordinary city. I want to thank everyone in this city for making it this extraordinary place," he said.
This is the first time that an Indian has won more than one nomination in Oscar history. Reacting to the nominations, Rahman said: "I did not think it will get there. God has been really kind. And I have to really thank the prayers of all the people and their good wishes.
"Something good is happening and I am really happy about it," he said, adding there is a kind of optimism in the film and so much of positive vibes as you leave the movie hall."
Co-director Loveelyn Tandon said, "We have proved everyone wrong. It's a crazy feeling beyond words. Ten nominations is something unbelievable."
She said all Rahman's work has been awarded and the "world has finally woken up to his talent". In the original score category, Rahman will compete with Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), James Newton Howard (Defiance), Danny Elfman (Milk) and Thomas Newman (WALL-E).
The screenplay of the film was adapted from author Vikas Swaroop's book Q&A. "It's a great moment to have my book that was adapted as a screenplay being nominated for an Oscar. Although Danny Boyle brought an outsider's sensibility to the project , came to it as a person who loved India and Mumbai. I know screenplay writing is different from novel writing. It is a specialised art. But the central framing device in the film is exactly the same as that in the book and then of course they've added some stories of their own," she said.
"I am very very happy for A R Rahman. He should definiely get an Oscar. He deserves it," said added lyricist Gulzar.
Other Oscar hopefuls this year are - Double golden globe winner Kate Winslet for her role in both Revolutionary Road and The Reader, Meryl Streep for Doubt, Brad Pitt for The curious case of Benjamin Button and Sean Penn for his portrayal of gay political activist Harvey Milk in Milk. Frost/Nixon, Mickey Rourke-starrer The Wrestler and Angelina Jolie's Changeling are the other key contenders.
The 81st Academy Awards will be announced on February 22 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.
The romantic fantasy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button led Academy Awards contenders Thursday with 13 nominations, among them best picture and acting honors for Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson, and a directing slot for David Fincher.
Other best-picture nominees are Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader.
As expected, Heath Ledger had a supporting-actor nomination for "The Dark Knight" on the one-year anniversary of his death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. But the Batman blockbuster was shut out for other top categories such as best picture and director.
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