Oscars 2023: MM Keeravani, Guneet Monga, Shaunak Sen mark presence at nominees’ luncheon

Nominees for the 95th Academy Awards at the luncheon
| Photo Credit: ANI

The nominees for the 95th Oscar were celebrated at a luncheon held on Monday. The annual tradition has become the unofficial kickoff to the second phase of Oscar campaigning. The event featured more than a few stars hoping to earn a trophy at the annual awards show. India’s M. M. Keeravani, Guneet Monga and Shaunak Sen also marked their presence at the star-studded luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

There were multiple-time winners like Steven Spielberg, Roger Deakins and Justin Hurwitz along with multiple-time nominees such as Tom Cruise, Michelle Williams, Sarah Polley, Rian Johnson, Mary Zophres and Diane Warren. The first-time nominees Brandon Fraser, Hong Chau, Austin Butler, Ke Huy Quan and Paul Mescal were also present.

The menu for the star-studded event included a two-course meal with dessert, featuring a harvest salad and king oyster mushroom scallops, wild mushroom risotto, roasted Brussels sprouts, baby carrots and pea tendrils. For dessert, guests were served an opera cake, ganache and fresh berries, People reported.

During the event, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Janet Yang addressed Will Smith’s infamous slap of Chris Rock during last year’s Oscars, telling the room of nominees that the Academy’s initial response to the incident was “inadequate.” (Smith, who has apologized, resigned from the Academy, which banned him from attending its events for 10 years.)

The 95th Oscars will be held on March 12, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. This time around, not just one, but three Indian significant movies are competing for the coveted Oscars Awards 2023 nominations. RRR is on the shortlist for Best Original Song for the dance song ‘ Naatu Naatu’, which won the Golden Globe Award in the same category earlier this year.

Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes has been nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film and Guneet Monga’s The Elephant Whisperers for Best Documentary Short.

India’s official Oscar entry, Chhello Show or Last Film Show, was left out of the final slate in the Best International Feature Film category.