QUOTE MARTIAL
MAKING WAVES
SHORT TAKES
SOUTHERN SPICE
ROUGH CUTS
MEMORIES
ARCHIVES
MOVIES CHAT

Shekhar eyes the Oscar

A still from Elizabeth

Arthur J Pais

A Hollywood tyro, Shekhar Kapur, will battle veterans Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan), Robert Redford -- (The Horse Whisperer), Peter Weir (The Truman Show) and a newcomer, John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) for the Golden Globe for best director.

Kapur's Elizabeth won two other Golden Globe nominations -- for the best movie and the best actress.

Director Shekhar Kapur.

Little-known Australian actress Cate Blanchett, who plays the title role, was chosen by Kapur despite suggestions that he should consider the likes of Nicole Kidman. Kapur had seen Blanchett in Oscar and Lucienda, a box-office flop but the 1998 movie got strong reviews for its actress.

Voted on by the 92-strong Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Golden Globes are regarded as the top indicator as to who will win at the Academy Awards and are closely watched by all in Hollywood. The Golden Globe Awards presentation will be telecast live on NBC Sunday, January 24th.

On the sets of Elizabeth

Elizabeth, a drama about 16th century virgin queen, was named last week one of the year's top 10 movies by the National Board of Reviews, a New York-based organisation. The movie also won the best director nod for its director Shekhar Kapur, nudging the likes of Spielberg whose Saving Private Ryan won the best movie award.

But the three Golden Globe nominations for Elizabeth were overshadowed by the six nominations for Shakespeare in Love, the story of the bard as a struggling young playwright.

A still from Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth is a key part of Shakespeare in Love but the movie, which is a comedy, focuses on the imaginary love life of the bard.

Three weeks ago Kapur became the first Indian director whose movie was among the top 10 box-office list in America. Though playing in just 540 theatres (as opposed to A Bugs Life which grossed $27 million on about 2,500 screens), Elizabeth grossed $3.4 million on the weekend. It has remained on the top 10 list for three weeks.