The 89th Academy Awards came to a close, and boy, did it come with a bag of surprises. We saw Mahershala Ali become the first Muslim to ever bag an Oscar, Viola Davis become only the second African-American, after Whoopi Goldberg, to win an Oscar, an Emmy, AND a Tony, for her role in 'Fences', and of course, the massive goof up which was easily the most embarrassing moment in Oscar history.
Amid all the chaos and the flurry, Indian-origin British actor Dev Patel, who was in contention for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for 'Lion', came as a gentle surprise, and what was even more amazing was his choice of red carpet partner. Dapper and crisp in a white Burberry tuxedo, Dev brought along mother Anita Patel, who looked quite the vision in a black sari with a deserving touch of bling and gold work on it. Her hair tied up in a bun, she completed her look with just a pair of long earrings. While the 'Slumdog Millionaire' actor lost the award to Ali, he managed to win several hearts as he walked alongside mummy dearest. Twitterati soon reacted to the photos, swooning at the star and the ever-so cute Anita.
"Oh hi Dev Patel's mom, I see you and you are the worlds cutest person" tweeted actress Mindy Kaling. For several others, it was her outfit that did the magic. It isn't often that you see an Indian sari gliding down its way among Hollywood's finest. By the end of the night, Anita became a star in herself and Twitter can't get over her.
Talking about his experience at the Oscars red carpet, Harrow boy Dev said, "It is mind blowing. It is amazing. I am here with my mom... It is a beautiful and special moment and I am absorbing it now." He played the elder Saroo Brierley in the movie, and won the BAFTA recently. The actor said he had to "kind of battle my own resume" and convince people that he could disappear, change skin, and be accepted as Saroo.
Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty pull off a Steve Harvey
Reel life Bonnie and Clyde, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty will go down in history for registering the most embarrassing situation at the prestigious Academy Awards. Appointed to present the night's most coveted award, Academy Award for Best Picture, the actors goofed up and gave away the award to Damien Chazelle's 'La La Land' only to correct their mistake later and announce the real winner- Barry Jenkin's 'Moonlight'.
When the presenters walked in to announce the winner, Beatty was seen taking his own time, making at least three glances at the winner's name. While it was deemed at the moment, that he was merely playing with people's patience, he showed the card to Dunaway who read the words 'La La Land' and said the name of the movie out loud. Dolby Theatre was filled with cheers, teams came up on stage, people began giving out thank you speeches, however, confusion soon rang across everyone. Jordan Horowitz, producer of 'La La Land', took the mic and clarified that it was 'Moonlight' that had actually won the award. He called the shaken crew from the film on stage, snatched the real Best Picture card from Beatty’s hand and showed it to the cameras.
Apparently, Beatty was given the envelope for the Best Actress in a Leading Role, instead of Best Picture. He explained that he opened the envelope and was confused to read 'Emma Stone, La La Land'. He showed it to Dunaway briefly, for her to read it, which she did- out aloud. "It’s one of the strangest things that’s ever happened to me," Beatty said backstage. "Thank God there were two of us up there," Dunaway responded.
Internet soon went into overdrive, with people remembering Steve Harvey for announcing the wrong Miss Universe. Even the official Twitter handle of the coveted pageant took a dig at the haunting Oscar situation. "Have your people call our people - we know what to do. #Oscars #MissUniverse" it tweeted. It was Harvey who had the last laugh, as he tweeted the next day, "Good morning everybody! Went to sleep early last night. So... what I miss? #Oscars"
