The year 2023 has been phenomenal for Indian cinema. From RRR's stupendous show at the global box office with its larger-than-life cinematic experience to Alia Bhatt casting a spell with her first Met Gala appearance, the Indian film industry made a mark on the world map. Not many would disagree that it was one of the grandest days for fans when RRR's Naatu Naatu won the Best Original Song award at the Oscars in March. It was none other than Bollywood icon Deepika Padukone who introduced the track at the world's biggest awards show. Now, let us take a look at the stars who made India proud on the global platform.
RRR at Golden Globe Awards - January
SS Rajamouli's RRR was nominated in two categories – Best Orginal Song and Best Non-English Language Film. The film was represented at the Golden Globe Awards by SS Rajamouli, Jr NTR and Ram Charan, who was accompanied by his wife Upasana Kamineni.
Best Orginal Song
Naatu Naatu, the electrifying track featuring Ram Charan and Jr NTR, won Best Original Song. It also became the first Asian song to win a Golden Globe.
MM Keeravani, in his acceptance speech, thanked the team of RRR and his wife MM Srivalli. He said, “Thank you very much HFPA [Hollywood Foreign Press Association] for this prestigious award, Golden Globe. I am very much overwhelmed with this great moment happening and I am very happy to share this excitement with my wife, who is sitting right there.”
Best Non-English Language Film
RRR missed out in this category to Argentina, 1985 from Argentina. Other nominees in the category included All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany), Close (Belgium), and Decision to Leave, (South Korea).
95th Academy Awards - March
It was a gloRRRious year for India at the Academy Awards.
1. Naatu Naatu
The electrifying number from SS Rajamouli's RRR won an Oscar in the Best Original Song category. The crazy viral track, which made everyone groove, was composed by MM Keeravani. Singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava also performed live at the prestigious award night. The performance received a standing ovation from the audience. An Oscar-worthy show, indeed.
Oh, and, how can we not talk about Deepika Padukone, who presented the song? She became the third Indian to present at the Oscars after Persis Khambatta and Priyanka Chopra.
At the time of introducing Naatu Naatu, Deepika Padukone said, "An irresistibly catchy chorus, electrifying beats and killer dance moves to match have made this song a global sensation.”
2. The Elephant Whisperers
The Elephant Whisperers, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, roared in the Best Documentary Short Subject category. Backed by Guneet Monga, it became the first Indian film to win an Oscar in this category and the third to be nominated.
Cannes 2023 - May
Bollywood celebrities added stardust to the French Riviera and how. Sara Ali Khan, Mrunal Thakur, Anushka Sharma and Manushi Chhillar made their red carpet debuts. They were joined by Vijay Varma, who made a comeback in the coveted event. Of course, there was Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The actress, who is a bonafide regular, turned heads in her silver hooded gown.
Aditi Rao Hydari, Esha Gupta, Diana Penty, Surveen Chawla, Sunny Leone, Urvashi Rautela, Mouni Roy, Kusha Kapila and Dolly Singh were also part of the Indian contingent at Cannes 2023.
Met Gala 2023 - May
The biggest fashion spectacle of the year paid tribute to the legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld. The theme was – Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.
1. Alia Bhatt - her first Met Gala
Alia Bhatt looked straight out of a fairy tale in her customised pearl gown. It was Alia's debut and she nailed the Chanel bride look with her beauty and grace. The outfit featured 1,00,000 pearls.
2. Natasha Poonawalla
Style icon Natasha Poonawalla honoured Lagerfeld by staying loyal to her bold and out-of-the-box fashion choices. Natasha's outfit was (almost) as iconic as Karl Lagerfeld himself.
3. Priyanka Chopra
There is a reason why we call Priyanka Chopra a global icon. The signature black Maison Valentino couture dress was a testament to the statement. She carried the strapless number with a dramatic slit. The black bow detailing and leather gloves along with a black faille cape were textbook perfect. Priyanka's plus one — Nick Jonas – opted for a Valentino Black Tie blazer, trousers and black silk faille tie.
Alia Bhatt at Gucci Show - September
Alia Bhatt is the first Indian ambassador of Gucci. The actress also attended the luxury brand's Cruise 2024 fashion show in Seoul, South Korea, earlier this year. She wore a black mini dress with cut-out patterns and carried a Gucci Jackie 1961 transparent bag. Alia's tiny bag grabbed a lot of attention. Reason? It was empty.
Alia Bhatt And The Archies cast at Netflix Tudum - June
1. Alia Bhatt
Alia made her Hollywood debut with Heart of Stone. She joined her co-stars Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan in Brazil for Netflix's annual global fan event, Tudum. The film also marked many firsts for Alia. It was her first action movie and her first after announcing pregnancy.
2. The Archies
The Archies, directed by Zoya Akhtar, was the Bollywood debut of star kids — Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda and Khushi Kapoor. At Tudum, the makers introduced the first look of the film and team The Archies danced to the song Sunoh.
The Netflix film was released on December 7.
Emmy Awards - November
It was a proud moment for India when Vir Das won an Emmy Award for his comedy special Vir Das: Landing. He shared it with Derry Girls - Season 3.
Apart from Vir Das, Shefali Shah and Jim Sarbh were also nominated in the Best Performance (actor/actress) category.
Shefali Shah's performance in the web series Delhi Crime Season 2 earned her an Emmy nomination. She was competing with Connie Nielsen from Denmark, Billie Piper from the UK and Karla Souza from Mexico.
Jim Sarbh was nominated for his role in Rocket Boys. He was competing against Gustavo Bassani from Argentina, Martin Freeman from the UK and Jonas Karlsson from Sweden.
Producer Ekta Kapoor was honoured with the International Emmy Directorate for her contribution to the world of television and cinema.
Paris Fashion Week October
Navya Naveli Nanda, Amitabh Bachchan's granddaughter, made her runway debut at Paris Fashion Week 2023's L'Oreal show. Navya was accompanied by her biggest cheerleaders — mother Shweta Nanda and grandmother, veteran actress Jaya Bachchan. Navya's aunt, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, as always set the stage on fire with panache.
Marrakech Film Festival November
Anurag Kashyap's happy album with Mads Mikkelsen, renowned for his roles in movies like Hannibal, Another Round, The Hunt, and Polar, was a hit.
The filmmaker was a part of the Conversations With segment alongside The Mentalist fame Simon Baker, Faouzi Bensaïdi, Bertrand Bonello, Matt Dillon, Naomi Kawase, Viggo Mortensen and Andrew Zvyagintsev.
Academy Museum Gala - December
Deepika Padukone is a boss lady. There is no better way of saying that. She is an actress, entrepreneur and fitness enthusiast. She is also the queen of the fashion world. Proof? Her Academy Museum Gala outfit. The actress picked a signature Louis Vuitton gown for the evening. The single-shoulder piece featured a corset detailing that extended to a floor-sweeping trail.
Red Sea Film Festival - December
Katrina Kaif, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt and Karan Johar led the celeb roll call at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt
While Katrina Kaif rested her faith in a saree for the red carpet, Alia Bhatt slipped into a floral gown with balloon sleeves.
Ranveer Singh
Now, let us focus on the powerhouse of energy and talent — Ranveer Singh. The actor received an award for being “an icon of Hindi cinema”. He was honoured by Hollywood sensation Sharon Stone.
Karan Johar
Karan Johar attended the festival in the capacity of a producer. KJo represented Kill, jointly backed by Dharma Productions and Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga. The Nikhil Nagesh Bhat film had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in August.