Oscar fever still high

t was that time of the year when all rational movie buffs turn into bingeing maniacs — including me. Yes, Oscar fever ran rampant last week. After all, it is the biggest night of the film fraternity, where we get to see the best players and their work.

Last year’s Academy Awards was one of the most watched events globally. Remember the fabulous Ellen DeGeneres and her celebrity-loaded selfie that broke Twitter? She was so effortless and funny. And I was wondering if it would be possible to out-do that.

All eyes were on Neil Patrick Harris at the 87th award night, but his act left us missing Ellen. In fact, it turns out that the show was watched by 16 per cent fewer viewers as compared to last year. Not very encouraging for poor Neil. But he did his bit and, at least, avoided any major controversies, though a series of jokes about Oscars diversity left a few awkward moments.

Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel were the night’s big winners, but I would have loved to see Interstellar take home the big one. It deserved more nominations. But what I loved was how every winner used their acceptance speech as a platform to be the voice of social justice. This brought immense awareness to the current social issues, such as wage inequality, immigration and gender bias.

Like any grand annual event, the Academy Awards will always have their share of expectations, applause and critiques. And yet, every year they give us all something to look forward to, something to talk about and something to remember.

“Every winner used their speech...to be the voice of social justice.”