The 95th Academy Awards was a big night for Asian representation on screen, with a number of milestones including the first Asian woman to receive a gong for best actress and the first-ever Oscar wins for Indian productions.
Michelle Yeoh made history with her role as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once, which took home a total of seven awards including the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for co-star Ke Huy Quan.
The Telegu language historical fantasy film ‘RRR’ became the first Indian feature film to win an Oscar, with ‘Naatu Naatu’ taking home the award for Best Original Song.
And India also won another Oscar this year: The award for the best documentary short film went to “The Elephant Whisperers”.
“Bring That Home”
Yeoh’s win makes her the first woman of Asian descent to win an Academy Award for Best Actress and the second woman of color to win the award. Actress Halle Berry, the only other woman of color to receive the best actress award, presented Yeoh with the Oscar.
She is also the first person of Asian descent to win a Lead Actor category, the fifth person of Asian descent to win an acting category, and the first actress to win for portraying a Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese-speaking character.
Historical significance was not lost on Yeoh as she delivered an impassioned and defiant acceptance speech.
“To all the little boys and girls who look like me tonight, this is a beacon of hope and opportunity,” she said, holding up her statue.
Yeoh dedicated her award to her 84-year-old mother.
“I’ll bring this to her house. She is watching in Malaysia KL right now with my family and friends. I love you guys. I’ll bring this to your house,” she said.
Yeoh also thanked her “extended family in Hong Kong” for “letting me stand on your shoulders and lift one leg up so I can be here today.”
Born in Ipoh, Malaysia, the actress got her start in a string of action films in Hong Kong.
She rose to international fame after starring in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000.
She’s recently gained additional notoriety for her roles in Crazy Rich Asians and Marvel’s Shang-Chi, but Everything Everywhere All at Once was her first Oscar nomination.
Stunt director Jacky Yeung, 58, who worked with Yeoh on Tomorrow Never Dies, told CNN she was particularly persistent.
“One time she was so tired that she couldn’t lift her leg. So she got a masseuse to massage her so she could get the kick going for the scene, but then she was in pain for the rest of the day,” he recalled.
“She’s not an ordinary girl,” Yeung added.
Dorothy Lau, who majored in film studies at Baptist University, home to one of Hong Kong’s top media schools, called Yeoh’s victory “very meaningful”.
“It’s a celebration of Asian actors and actresses fighting for their presence in Hollywood,” she told CNN.
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Yeoh was the most of the four Asian actors nominated for an Oscar this year.
Her All At Once co-star, Ke Huy Quan, also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and, like Yeoh, was the first actor to win an Academy Award for portraying a Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese-speaking character.
In his own emotional acceptance speech, the former child star, who worked behind the camera for years after roles dried up for him, recalled his remarkable journey onto the big screen.
“My journey began on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp and somehow ended up here, on Hollywood’s biggest stage,” said the Vietnam-born actor. “I can’t believe this is happening to me. This is the American Dream.”
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The seven awards that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has won is the most for a film since Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” took home eight in 2009.
A first for India
With winning Best Original Song for “Naatu Naatu”, “RRR” became the first Indian feature film to win an Oscar.
An Indian composer had previously won the Oscar for Best Original Song with “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire,” but that film was a predominantly British production.
In contrast, “RRR” is a quintessentially Indian production – and a showcase for Tollywood, one of India’s non-Bollywood film industries that focuses primarily on Telegu language productions rather than Hindi films.
After the win, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “The popularity of ‘Naatu Naatu’ is worldwide. It will be a song to remember for years to come.”
“India is excited and proud,” Modi added.
The team behind the film took to Twitter to celebrate the win.
“No words can describe this surreal moment. We dedicate this to all our amazing fans around the world. Thanks!! Jai Hind,” they wrote, using a popular battle cry meaning “Victory to India.”
The winning song was composed by MM Keeravani, with lyrics by Chandrabose.
“Naatu Naatu” beat both Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick and Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Earlier in the evening, the Oscars highlighted “Naatu Naatu” with a musical performance that recreated a famously energetic scene from the film that inspired countless memes.
Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, who introduced the performance, called the song “a total banger”.
The song’s composer, MM Keervaani, said he “grew up watching The Carpenters and now I’m here at the Oscars” before singing his acceptance speech to the tune of The Carpenters’ “Top of the World.” Credit: Carlos Barria/Portal
A clip from the film featuring Telugu superstars Ram Charan and NT Rama Rao Jr., known as Jr NTR, dancing in perfect synchronization to “Naatu Naatu”. has more than 125 million views on YouTube. The Indian film industry produces tens of thousands of films in multiple languages every year. “RRR,” which stands for Rise, Roar, Revolt, is the fourth-highest-grossing film in the country according to IMDb, earning nearly $155 million worldwide. It became Netflix most viewed non-English language film last June. Set during India’s struggle for independence from Britain, the three-hour historical fantasy film features wild action sequences, explosions, epic battles, complex dance numbers and a man wrestling a tiger.
The Asian American diaspora celebrates
Many Asians in the film industry took to Twitter to share their excitement after winning Everything Everywhere All at Once, which is largely a story about Asian immigrants and the Asian-American experience.
Jon M. Chu, who directed Crazy Rich Asians, which starred Yeoh, tweeted that she was his “aunt,” “heroine,” and “the inspiration we all need right now.”
Yeoh’s “Shang-Chi” co-star Simu Liu was effusive in his praise for Quan, the Malaysian actress and Best Supporting Actor winner. “Keep walking down a golden path and show us all what’s possible,” he said on Twitter.
Asian-American actress Lauren Tom, best known for her role in the 1993 film The Joy Luck Club, thanked Yeoh for the inspiration. tweet that she was “#sobbing” and “#so proud”. But the sociologist and film scholar Nancy Wang Yuen Remarks that the historical nature of these wins at this year’s Oscars “points to historical racial/sexist barriers and lack of opportunity, not because Asians are suddenly talented.”
Filipino-American actor JB Tadena, who starred in the TV series Hawaii Five-0, said he hopes these victories will lead to greater recognition for people who may have previously been disregarded.
“I sincerely and honestly hope that Ke’s win opens the door to the incredible talent out there that has been overlooked,” said Tadena tweeted.
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