NEW DELHI/KOLLAM: It is celebration time for India, with the Mumbai-based movie “Slumdog Millionaire” and the short documentary “Smile Pinki” creating history at the 81st Academy Awards in Hollywood.
Extending congratulations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was “delighted” at the Oscars won by India-based films.
In his message, Singh said: “The achievement of the creative teams of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and ‘Smile Pinki’ is a recognition of their vast talent. Their achievement is a tribute to the Indian film industry, which is a reservoir of multidisciplinary talent, which the medium of cinema embraces. The winners have done India proud and all those involved in the making of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and ‘Smile Pinki’ have our heartiest congratulations.”
President Pratibha Patil, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and other leaders, including Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee congratulated Oscar winners for making India proud.
Meanwhile, Resul Pookutty, who won an Oscar for sound-mixing, said via phone from Los Angeles: “Everyone’s on top of the world. I still cannot believe being honored along with the world’s best talents... It’s a historic moment for India and, for me, a huge responsibility.” His ancestral home in Vilak-kupara, Kollam, erupted in joy as he was called on to the stage and the seven siblings and close relatives huddled before the TV could not hold their tears back. Resul, 37, lives in Mumbai with his wife Bebin Shadiya, a homemaker, and their two children.
Resul used to walk 6 km everyday to reach his school where the main incentive was the free noon meal and “lots of time to play” with other children who were equally deprived of good schooling. At home, he studied under the kerosene lamp, as electricity was yet to reach his village.
Villagers crowded Resul’s house even before the big news was out. “We decided to place a TV in front of our home because since last evening the mood was building up,” said his elder brother Byju Pookutty.