Slumdog Steals the Spotlight

Beginning with Hugh Jackman, who was the host for the night, singing a comical opening number, the stage was set for a successful 81st annual Academy Awards. While many movies, directors, actors, and producers were honored with nominations, Slumdog Millionaire stole the spotlight by winning eight Oscars, including Best Picture. Despite this award being the last to be announced, the Slumdog cast and crew seemed to be the focus of the entire night.
Shot in Mumbai, India, Slumdog Millionaire used children who have lived in the slums their whole lives as the stars of the movie and they were all in attendance at the Kodak Theatre for the Oscars. Probably the first time these kids have ever left Mumbai and the first time many of them have ever been on an airplane, they were well received by Hollywood society. The awe in these children’s faces seemed to be inspiring to everyone watching and gave a remarkable sense of innocence to the show. Slumdog’s run began with the third award of the night, which was Best Adapted Screenplay (adapted from Q & A by Vikas Swarup), and continued right on through the end of the night when they upstaged the host (and sexiest man alive) by rushing the stage after winning Best Picture.
Along with Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was also a big winner on the night with three Oscars. While this would normally be a huge honor, Button enthusiasts were inevitably disappointed since the movie was nominated for 13. Other movies to win included Dark Knight, Milk, and The Duchess. None of these movies however, could compete with Slumdog Millionaire and its winning of a third of all the awards given and winning eight of the nine awards possible.
Because of the film’s origins, in the slums of Mumbai, it was hard not to feel excited for the cast and crew of the movie. The final award of Best Picture seemed very fitting as a cap on the night and it was great that the kids from Mumbai got to be in the spotlight for all to see. As the camera kept cutting to Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and Ayush Mahesh Khedekar and their huge grins, everyone watching could feel their excitement and it became contagious. The excitement of the young children reached more than just the Kodak Theatre, for when it was announced, several viewers squealed and clapped their hands in the Hicks Center and Kalamazoo College and this was likely the response of millions of viewers worldwide.
The 81st annual Academy Awards were a huge success and it would be a shame if the viewership did not reach at least its 2007 levels of 40 million people. While they were extremely well choreographed, reasonably well written, and immaculately designed, the awards owe most of their success to the success of Slumdog Millionaire and the vast support that the movie has found in America.