The 88th edition of the Academy Awards was held at the Dolby Theatre in the wee hours of Monday, February 29. Probably the only Monday morning many of us did not crib about. Many things at the Oscars made us go whoa but it also showed all that is wrong with our very own award shows.

The host

This year’s Oscars were shrouded in controversy with not a single black artist featuring in the 20 nominations for actors. Chris Rock hosted the show and gave a pretty darn awesome monologue on the whole #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Nobody was spared; he let rip at everyone, from the organisers to the black actors who boycotted the event. 

The job of the host of the Oscars is not just to make people laugh, but also to comment on things going on around them.

This wasn’t a one-off. Even last year, when the whole wage gap controversy was going on, Neil Patrick Harris took a deep dig at it. This just goes on to show that hosts are independent of the producers of the award ceremony, and actually have a voice. 

Do you think any of our Filmfare hosts would dare take a dig at the show itself? On the contrary, they might just be given a memo on things to say and not to.

The extravagance

The stage. The props. Everything at our award shows are so extravagant, well, a better word would be gaudy. They just go on to show that ‘hey people, we got money!’ The Oscar stage on the other hand is simple, and yet screams of class, and good taste.

Over the top performances

Bollywood film awards are all about making an entry in a helicopter while shaking a leg or two. It’s about bright colours and over-the-top props that can potentially blind a person. Oscar performances meanwhile are powerful and moving, and in most cases, are also about getting a message across.

Lady Gaga gave a mind blowing performance with Til it happens to you, a song written for sexual assault survivors. She was introduced on the stage by the Vice President of the USA himself. Can you imagine any politically powerful person in India taking the stage for such a sensitive topic?

Social causes

All eyes were glued, and all hearts were eagerly waiting to see if our dear Leo would finally win an Oscar. Well, tada! he did. And in his acceptance speech, he thanked everyone and took the stage to draw our attention to the important global problem that is climate change. 

Who in our film industry would take the stage to do that? When was the last time someone spoke about overpopulation or poverty during an award acceptance speech at an Indian show?

Sponsors galore

Our award shows begin with a continual recital of all the sponsors who pitched in their millions to see their favourite actors up close. And God! Do they take forever? The Oscars doesn’t have to blow its horn for recognition.

With so much falsification, with absolutely no addition to the society or the person sitting and watching the show, our awards show are just another way to spend the money so benevolently showered by the people on the wealthier spectrum.

But we think that the people, which means your audience have had enough. How much more years would Bollywood take to be at par with the progress of the west? Something to think about, Bollywood?