New Delhi: Cutting acros s party lines, Rajya Sabha MPs congratulated the makers of "Naatu Naatu", the breakout hit from the action film "RRR", and the documentary "The Elephant Whisperers" on Tuesday for winning two Oscars in one night.When the House met, Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar mentioned "Naatu Naatu" for winning the Academy Award for best original song and "The Elephant Whisperers" for winning the Oscar for best documentary short film.
"The 95th Academy Awards was a moment of glory for us," Dhankhar said. "The wins for 'The Elephant Whisperers' and 'RRR' mark a new recognition of the full spectrum of cinema that India produces."
"The awards will further help internationalisation of the Indian film industry. These achievements also reflect global appreciation of vast talent, immense creativity and committed dedication of Indian artistes," he said, congratulating the entire team associated with the two ventures for a "well-earned recognition".
Leader of the House and Union Minister Piyush Goyal said, "'The Elephant Whisperers' has been made by two women of eminence. It is about gender. It is about respect for our women of India. It is a great mark of recognition for India's women."
It is also about sustainability, which has become the "core to our philosophy", he said, adding the scriptwriter of RRR, V Vijayendra Prasad, is a Rajya Sabha MP.
Leader of Opposition and Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge said it was a matter of great pride that two cinemas from southern India have won the award. In a lighter vein, he went on to state that the BJP should not jump to claim credit for the Oscars.
"My request is that the ruling party should not take credit that we have directed, we have written the poem, or Modiji has directed this film. They should not say that is only my request. It is the contribution of the country," Kharge said.
His party colleague Jairam Ramesh added that the Chair should not expunge these remarks. Goyal interjected at this point but couldn't be heard as Opposition MPs objected.
"This is an occasion for collective celebration and not for narrow partisan point scoring the leader of the house is doing," Ramesh said.
Lauding India's achievements at the Oscars, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said 'brand India' has arrived as he called for concerted efforts to make the country a content hub of the world.
Speaking in Rajya Sabha, he said "RRR's" "Naatu Naatu" has not only won hearts in the country but also across the world.
"It is a matter of pride for India that the Indian film industry has won two world awards in Oscars. Brand India has arrived and it is just a beginning. India has the potential to become the content hub of the world. Let us work together to make India the content hub of the world," he told the House.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi expressed his happiness regarding two Oscars at a time for India. "It is really a very happy moment for all of us. One of the script writers is Vijayendra Prasad, who has been nominated by the president. It is also a very important thing to note how the president is now nominating members who are illustrious in their own fields," he said.
Samajwadi Party's Jaya Bachchan said she was happy that the House was discussing the most important ambassadors of the country, the film fraternity.
The film fraternity has represented the country and won a number of awards, said Bachchan, a popular Bollywood actress, adding that director Satyajit Ray won an Oscar in 1992. "The market of cinema is here. It is not in America," she said.
Thereafter, MPs from all parties congratulated and hailed the winners.
TMC's Sukhendu Sekhar Roy sought a screening of "The Elephant Whisperers", which is about a couple in South India who adopt a baby elephant and care for him, for school children to help create awareness for the environment.
Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Shiv Sena (UBT) hoped the Oscars would help end the boycott culture on social media.
CPI MP Binoy Viswam said this is the moment when "we all join together to uphold our culture, its diversity, its richness and its aesthetics". "It is no more a narrow one; it is a wide one, and that wideness is to be celebrated now.
"This is the moment that this country thinks about diversity and oneness. Our diversity is the cause of the oneness," he said.
Fauzia Khan of the NCP) said that "we are spreading the joy of creativity and we are sharing the glory of India here, across ideologies, across regions, across geographical boundaries".
"So, let us celebrate our diversity; let us celebrate our creativity. It is a proud moment for us, and let us celebrate our gender empowerment," Khan said.
IUML's Abdul Wahab said, "I have a special request to you. Why can't we, MPs, have 'Naatu Naatu' in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan?".
