‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ sweeps Critics Choice Awards with five wins; ‘RRR’ wins Best Foreign Language Film, Best Song for ‘Naatu Naatu’

The sci-fi action adventure Everything Everywhere All At Once, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, won five awards at the 28th version of the Critics Choice Awards, which were held in Los Angeles, including the best director, picture, original screenplay, supporting actor and editing. The film bagged 14 nominations.

In the best director category, the director duo was competing against big names like James Cameron (Avatar: The Way of Water), Baz Luhrmann (Elvis), and Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans).

Director Kwan thanked his mother, who was the inspiration for the protagonist Evelyn Wang, played by Michelle Yeoh in the film. “She was the first person to plant the seed in my head that I could be a director,” he said. Ke Huy Quan bagged the best supporting actor for his role in the same film.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is a ‘hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted Chinese American woman (Michelle Yeoh), who can’t seem to finish her taxes.”

Meanwhile, Malaysian actor Michelle Yeoh had won the 2023 Golden Globe Award in the Best Actress — Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy category for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once last week. — ANI

RRR wins Best Foreign Language Film, Best Song for Naatu Naatu

SS Rajamouli’s RRR continued its winning streak as the global blockbuster won two trophies—Best Foreign Language Film and Best Song for Naatu Naatu. The Telugu magnum opus, headlined by Ram Charan and Jr NTR, was nominated in five categories—Best Picture, Best Director (Rajamouli), Best Foreign Language film, Best Visual Effects (V Srinivas Mohan) and Best Song (Naatu Naatu).

In the Best Foreign Language Film, RRR was competing against films such as All Quiet on the Western Front, Argentina 1985, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, Close and Decision to Leave. Directed by filmmaker SS Rajamouli, RRR is a pre-Independence fictional story focusing on two real-life Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s — Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem.

The foot-tapping dance number from the film Naatu Naatu, which won the ‘best original song-motion picture’ at the Golden Globes last week, was nominated for the CCA alongside Carolina (Where the Crawdads Sing), Ciao Papa (Pinocchio), Hold My Hand (Top Gun: Maverick), Lift Me Up (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and New Body Rhumba (White Noise). The track has been composed by veteran music director MM Keeravaani, and voiced by singers Kala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj.

Filmed on Ram Charan and Jr NTR, Naatu Naatu translates to bucolic in Telugu. Choreographed by Prem Rakshith, it has many fans. It also features in the Oscars shortlist announced last month. Last week, the movie made it to the BAFTA long-list for ‘film not in English language’ category.

However, RRR lost the Best Visual Effects award to Avatar: The Way of Water. — PTI 

Mera Bharat Mahaan

Team RRR shared a video on Twitter where SS Rajamouli could be seen giving his winning speech at the award ceremony held in Los Angeles. Celebrating his success, Rajamouli said in the video, “To all the women in my life, my mother Rajnandani…My sister-in-law Sreevalli…My wife Rama…To my daughters… Finally, to my motherland…Mera Bharat Mahan. Jai Hind. Thank you.” ANI

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Agencies