A few days back I went tripping down a conveniently located timewarp, where I picked up an interesting little snippet of news in the future history of April 2017. Now that I have just about recovered from the after effects of downing seven Guantanamo Bays of an evening (I am generally an Old Monk man, but I couldn’t resist the sales pitch for this concoction, which I was told had been invented by someone called Dubya), I am reasonably sentient again, and the snippet was quite interesting.
The morning papers of that time were full of the news that Big B has declined to accept an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement. That was interesting – the only chap I had heard of who didn’t accept an Oscar was Woody Allen, who figured that the Oscar ceremonies were on a Friday, and on Fridays he played the clarinet with a Dixieland band in New York, so there.
In his interviews, Big B explained that much that he respected the Oscars, he felt that Indian cinema did not need the Oscars. He mentioned that he had said as much in many interviews in January 2009, some of which he quoted as below:
“Oscar awards should not be considered as the ultimate recognition for artists. They are great in their place and we are so in our place. Indian cinema is best in its own way and we should have our own way of judging what is good. So many good Indian movies have gone unrecognised.” He had also dismissed the notion that his country's films should aspire to win Oscars, saying that the Indian film industry was more creative than Hollywood. He did not believe that an Indian film winning an Oscar was the "ultimate recognition for any great film" and added that it was offensive to suggest that.
Even in 2009, he had stated that "Whereas we respect the Oscars and what they are, our creativity is the best.”
Caveat - I am quoting all this from memory, so if I get some of the words wrong, don't sue me. I shall blame any errors on the Guantanamo Bays.
It’s great to know that here is a man who has mind made up and sees no reason to change it – quite a feat in these days of flux. Or…hey…hold it! Is there someone out there suggesting that he is miffed that he isn’t part of the “Slumdog Millionaire” jamboree which is getting in all kinds of kudos and nominations by the truckload in the current history of 2009? Envy…jealousy…the green monster…Big B?? No! can’t be…he’s much too big for that, surely??!!!
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