In the months of January and February film-lovers across the world brace themselves to celebrate the best movies released the preceding year. Oscar fever goes viral and movie buffs make sure they have watched every film nominated so that they can decide for themselves who should walk away with the honours.
In the process of celebrating the best movies that have been released, audiences often forget the time and money wasted watching the atrocious releases of the year. Movies that opened to packed audiences but failed to deliver. Films that lured audiences with a promotional campaign so well thought out that you wonder why the same amount of effort was not put into making the film.
To honour such films the Golden Rasberry Awards (Razzies), founded in 1981, has recognised the worst films produced every year. The awards do not take into consideration how the movie did at the box office but rely on voters who register with them to nominate and select the worst. This year the final instalment of the Twilight franchise topped the list with a total of 11 nominations in 10 categories. The nominations include worst film, worst actor, worst actress, and worst director. Twilight, however, was also one of the highest grossers of the year. The Razzies are announced a day before the Oscars.
Indian version
The Hindi film industry has its own version of the Razzies called the Golden Kela Awards, which is into its fifth year. The similar Ghanta Awards is into its third year. The award ceremonies are a satirical take on the industry, usually hosted by stand-up comics. The voting is done online from a list that has been nominated by a jury. Voting for this year’s awards has already begun and one can visit >www.theghantas.com and >www.goldenkela.com to vote.
There are also a number of fun categories like Baawara ho gaya hai ke Award (the Have You Gone Crazy award) and the WTF Was That award.
The awards are gaining in popularity every year and are a welcome trend in a society that finds it so hard to laugh at itself. Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock and other top actors have been sporting enough to come to the event, receive their award and give a hilarious acceptance speech as well. In India, Abhishek Bachchan came to the Golden Kela Awards and accepted the Dara Singh Award for his attempt to speak with an American accent in Delhi 6. The awards are given not to insult anybody in the industry but to offer a humorous take on the year gone by so that people laugh and discuss how bad the movie was.
“I think these awards should be taken in good spirit and people and the industry should attend these functions and gracefully accept the response for their work,” says Akriti Mathur, an avid movie watcher. “But, at the same time, I feel the jury or whatever body nominates and selects the winner should have great credentials as well so that the quality of the award is maintained and people respect the critique.”
Award nights, which are a mix of fashion, glamour, dance, and entertainment that make for great television, often leave film buffs upset as the awards are predictable and the winners have cameras following their every move.
Those who have had a forgettable year stay at home and save money as they don’t have to be fashionably dressed. It is these people that social media brings into the limelight so that we remember the year not just by the best movies released but by the worst as well. It is sweet revenge for having been made to sit through a torturous movie.
