Yearender 2024: Indian glitz, cinema in global awards spotlight - Payal Kapadia's Golden Globes nomination, SRK's Locarno Film Fest honour

New Delhi [India], December 21 (ANI): As the year draws to a close, the world of cinema remains a defining one with Indian talent- celebrities and films retaining their prominent presence and making a significant impact in the global glitz and glamour world.

From filmmaker Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine As Light' obtaining two prestigious nominations at the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards to superstar Shah Rukh Khan receiving the Lifetime Achievement award, the Pardo alla Carriera at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival, the year solidified global appeal of Indian cinema and actors.As we are all set to welcome the New Year, don't forget to flip through some of the pages of 2024 that left a lasting impression on the hearts and minds of cinephiles.

Filmmaker Payal Kapadia created history after being nominated in the Best Director (Motion Picture) category for 'All We Imagine As Light' at the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards.

'All We Imagine As Light' has also received a total of two nominations, with the other one being for Best Motion Picture - (Non-English Language). Notably, this marks the first time an Indian director has been nominated in this category.

Reacting to the nomination, in a statement, Payal said, "I'm deeply honoured by this nomination and grateful to the HFPA for this recognition. This is a celebration of everyone who worked so passionately on the film. To everyone in India, All We Imagine as Light is still in theatres--please go watch it and support us!"All We Imagine As Light was released in theatres on November 22.

Starring Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam, the film is an official Indo-French co-production between Petit Chaos from France and ChalkCheese and Another Birth from India.

'All We Imagine' As Light follows the story of Prabha, a troubled nurse who receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband, and Anu, her young roommate seeking intimacy with her boyfriend. Their journey to a beach town allows them to confront their desires and emotions. The movie has now been nominated for the Critics Choice Awards 2025.

Anasuya Sengupta became the first Indian actor to win the prestigious Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Hailing from Kolkata, Anasuya delivered an extraordinary performance as Renuka in 'The Shameless,' directed by Bulgarian filmmaker Konstantin Bojanov.This gripping film competed in the Un Certain Regard section of the 77th edition of the festival."This is for the queer community everywhere, and all other marginalized communities all over the world, for bravely fighting a fight they shouldn't have to fight," Anasuya passionately stated upon receiving her award.Speaking to ANI, Anasuya shared how overwhelming the experience was, describing it as "beyond anything she could have ever anticipated.""So hard to describe but you know I mean it's just beyond anything I could have ever anticipated andjust so I feel so lucky, so blessed to have gotten a recognition this fantastic and even more than that, the sense of collective pride that the whole nation felt. I couldn't imagine something like that could ever happen, so very, very grateful," she said.The 77th Cannes Film Festival turned out to be a significant event for India.In addition to Anasuya's groundbreaking win, Shyam Benegal's classic 'Manthan' had a special screening, marking almost 48 years since its original release.

Alia Bhatt made her debut at Paris Fashion Week in a glamorous style. She was seen dressed up in a metallic silver bustier that she paired with a black off-shoulder jumpsuit. For the make-up, she added a pink touch to her lips. Her wet hair look made her appearance even more eye-captivating.

Alia shared a series of pictures featuring Aishwarya Rai, Kendall Jenner, Simone Ashley and others from the gala night. Clad in a metallic silver bustier that she paired with a black off-shoulder jumpsuit, Alia slayed the look.

For the glam, she added a pink touch to her lips. Her wet hair look made her appearance even more eye-captivating.

She wrote, "a night to uplift, embraceinspire; because we're all WorthIt." In one of the pictures, Alia posed with Aishwarya Rai, Kendall Jenner, Simone Ashley and Camila Cabello among others on the runway.With her captivating appearance at Paris Fashion Week, Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also stunned everyone with her glamorous avatar.

Dressed in a balloon hem red dress, the 'Jodha Akbar' star let her hair down and added a pop of colour to her look with a bold red lip shade. Her walk became more special when she greeted the French audience with 'namaste' (a gesture, deeply ingrained in the rich tapestry of Indian culture).

Shah Rukh Khan honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award at 2024 Locarno Film FestivalSuperstar Shah Rukh Khan was felicitated with the lifetime achievement award, the Pardo alla Carriera at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival, which was held from August 7 to August 17, 2024.Shah Rukh received the award on August 10 at the open-air venue Piazza Grande. One of his most iconic films, 'Devdas', directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, was also be screened during the festival.

Decked up in a sleek black blazer and matching trousers, Shah Rukh's dapper look for the festival acted as a feast for the eyes. His long hair made him look breathtakingly captivating.During a conversation with Giona A Nazzaro, the artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival, he discussed his career and achievements.

He opened up on his preparation work for his next film 'King' and his collaboration with filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh.

He said, "There are certain kinds of film that I want to do, maybe it's more age centric and I want to try something for 6-7 years I've been thinking about it and I mentioned it to Sujoy one day while we were sitting. He works with us at our office, he's made some films for us. He says, Sir, I have a subject."SRK also spoke about losing weight for his film 'King', "The next film I am doing 'King', I have to start working on it, have to lose some weight a little, do some stretching," he added.Reportedly, the film is also set to star Shah Rukh's daughter and actor, Suhana.

Shah Rukh Khan has been part of several action movies like 'Jawan', 'Pathaan', among others. The 'Darr' star shared that he finds action challenging and exhausting.

He became the first Indian personality to be honoured with a lifetime achievement award, the so-called Pardo alla Carriera, or Career Leopard at the 77th edition of the Locarno Film Festival.

Indian musician Ricky Kej has been nominated for the 67th Grammy Awards. It is Kej's fourth nomination after the previous three wins.As per a press note, his album 'Break of Dawn' would compete in the Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album category.

On his nomination, Ricky Kej said, "I am honoured to have Break of Dawn recognized by The Recording Academy. This album is deeply personal, reflecting my belief in music as a transformative force for the health and well-being of the planet and our people. I hope it inspires all of us to experience music not just as entertainment, but as a source of comfort and healing."The category also features Indian-origin sitarist, singer-songwriter and composer Anoushka Shankar's album 'Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn.'The category also includes Indian-origin artist Radhika Vekaria's spiritual album Warriors Of Light and entrepreneur and artist Chandrika Tandon's album Triveni, made with flautist Wouter Kellerman and cellist Eru Matsumoto.

Hoping to win his fourth Award, Ricky Kej told ANI, " I've already won three Grammy Awards in the past and this is my fourth nomination which I hope will lead to my fourth win. I have been a lifelong environmentalist and I've always believed our ancient Indian culture teaches us that the impurities of the environment are in direct relation to the impurities of the mind. So in order to solve any issue we face as a species, we first have to purify our minds.""And Break of Dawn was created by me with this belief in mind as a catalyst to create a more kind, compassionate and environmentally conscious society through the power of music. So Break of Dawn is a new-age album. It's based on ancient Indian rags. Each and every one of the nine songs of Break of Dawn has been based on an ancient Indian rag. It's been crafted very, very carefully by me to promote mental health and wellness and it's focused on India-rooted wellness music...I'm very grateful for this honour of receiving my fourth Grammy nomination," he added.

Guneet Monga's Anuja has been shortlisted in the Best Live-Action Short Film category. The film sheds light on the important issue of child labour in the garment industry and features actor Nagesh Bhonsle in a key role.The 97th Academy Awards will be held on March 3, 2025.

This is Monga's third nomination at the Oscars. Her earlier projects, 'The Elephant Whisperers' and 'Period: End of Sentence', won Oscars, bringing glory to Indian cinema.

Apart from 'Anuja', another film that remains in the Oscars race is 'Santosh', a British-Indian film directed by Sandhya Suri. Featuring actress Shahana Goswami, Santosh is the United Kingdom's official entry for the Oscars. The film premiered earlier this year in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced 30 shortlisted films in contention for the Best Live Action Short and Best Animated Short Oscar categories. Some other shortlisted contenders include 'Clodagh' 'The Compatriot 'Crust' 'Dovecote' 'Edge of Space' and 'The Ice Cream Man'. (ANI)