Kidman shares BAFTA arc light with The Pianist

The Pianist, Roman Polanksi’s harrowing drama of a musician who survives the Nazis, triumphed as the Best Film at Britain’s annual...

The Pianist, Roman Polanksi’s harrowing drama of a musician who survives the Nazis, triumphed as the Best Film at Britain’s annual BAFTA Awards, emerging as a surprise frontrunner for next month’s Oscars.

Nicole Kidman was named Best Actress for her role as author Virginia Woolf in The Hours. Daniel Day-Lewis won the Best Actor for his chilling portrayal of a 19th century urban warlord in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York.

The Warrior wins two awards, Devdas flops

LONDON: Spurned by Oscars, The Warrior, produced by London-based NRI film-maker Asif Kapadia, won two British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) here while Bollywood blockbuster Devdas, continuing its unsuccessful streak from Beverly Hills, failed in the best foreign film category. The Warrior, shot mostly in Rajasthan, was adjudged last night as the best British film and also won an award for special achievement in a first feature film category. The film tells the tale of a warrior in Rajasthan who has renounced violence to seek peace in the Himalayas. But before he finds peace, he has to deal with the wrath of a warlord who wants him to remain a warrior. The Warrior was made on a budget of less than $1 million. — PTI

There was plenty of high glamour — not least Kidman in a white strapless silk dress and a very pregnant Catherine Zeta-Jones in black with a plunging neckline, accessorised by a ruby-studded necklace.

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Zeta-Jones was named Best Supporting Actress for her role as a nightclub singer in Chicago. Christopher Walken won Best Supporting Actor for Catch Me If You Can.

The British ceremony has come to rival the Oscars for glitz, especially since last year, when it was moved to just before the Academy Awards to cash in on Oscar hype.

But the night paid tribute above all to the veteran Polanski, whose film about a Polish Jewish pianist who escapes the Warsaw ghetto in World War II has echoes of his own story as a holocaust survivor. He also won for Best Direction.

‘‘The important thing to acknowledge is that Roman has overcome a tremendous amount of loss in his life, particularly in this case to the hands of the Nazis,’’ said the film’s star Adrien Brody, accepting the director award on Polanski’s behalf. (Reuters)

Cyclone Montha: Schools closed, fishing activities suspended in Andhra, Odisha

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