Mumbai: Deepika Padukone, one of India’s leading female actors with an international presence, is disappointed with the Academy Awards which presents the coveted Oscars to the best every year.
Deepika, who made her debut as a presenter at the 95th Academy Awards presentation in March 2023, is of the opinion that several Indian films deserved to win Oscar awards, were ‘robbed’.
The actor took to her Instagram account on Sunday evening to share a video where she is seen getting ready for the Louis Vuitton show in Paris. Talking about the Oscars, Deepika recalled the moment when she was present at the prestigious show to witness India winning one for the ‘RRR’ song ‘Naatu Naatu’.
“India has been robbed of the Oscars many times. Many, many deserving movies I feel have got snubbed. Whether its movies, whether its talent… But I remember being in the audience and when they announced RRR, I got emotional. Outside of being an Indian, I had really nothing to do with that movie but that was a huge, huge moment. That felt very, very personal,” Deepika said, referring to ‘RRR’ winning in the Best Original Song category for ‘Naatu Naatu’ in 2023.
The video shows glimpses from Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine As Light’, Kiran Rao’s ‘Laapataa Ladies’, Rahi Anil Barve’s ‘Tumbadd’ and Ritesh Batra’s ‘The Lunchbox’. These films in recent years have won critical acclaim but were not nominated for Oscars despite some of them being sent as India’s official entries.
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The Oscars jury comprises of members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), a diverse group of professionals from various branches of the film industry. AMPAS has more than 10,000 members, including actors, directors, writers, producers, editors, etc.
On the recent 97th Oscars held earlier this month, Deepika said that she was “very happy” for Adrien Brody, who bagged the Oscar for Best Male Actor for his performance in ‘The Brutalist’.
Deepika is the first Indian to be signed as a global ambassador by global luxury fashion houses for Louis Vuitton and Cartier.