Hollywood

HOLLYWOOD: ARE THE OSCARS OVER-HYPED & OVERRATED??

by Monojit Lahiri March 18 2025, 12:00 am Estimated Reading Time: 4 mins, 9 secs

The Oscars: A Global Spectacle or Overhyped Glam Show? Exploring Hollywood’s Biggest Night Through the Lens of Real Cinema and Showbiz, Monojit Lahiri is in the mood to sling a hand-bomb with its mouth open...and checkout the aftermath! 

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, remain the most prestigious film awards globally, but do they truly represent cinematic excellence? While Hollywood’s razzmatazz captivates millions, critics argue that the Oscars prioritize spectacle, celebrity culture, and aggressive marketing over artistic merit. Unlike Cannes, Venice, or Berlin, which celebrate global cinematic craftsmanship, the Oscars favour commercially successful, English-language films with powerful industry backing. With just one slot for the Best International Film, non-Hollywood cinema struggles for recognition. As the debate continues, is it time to reassess the Oscars’ impact on global filmmaking and redefine what truly honours cinema?

It was—as always—my devious, iconoclast, panga-specialist buddy who sweetly mentioned the above subject.

"What's so great about the Oscars, dada? Isn't it really all sound and fury signifying nothing? Isn’t it dramabaazi and showbiz? Isn’t it glamour, gloss, and glitz that define the event, dazzling the eyes of star-struck Hollywood junkies all over the globe where it is screened? It is more of a spectacle than a genuine barometer of real cinematic artistry in its purest form, eliminating the power of stardom and everything connected with it. In this day and age of fashionable consumerism and globalization, it seems to be an entertaining, engaging, and engrossing time-pass. Any resemblance to exploring true-blue quality content, however, is purely coincidental!"

Since the 2024-25 Oscars have just been done and dusted, it might be a good idea to toss this [scandalous?] POV to evolved individuals eminently qualified to respond in a meaningful manner. 

The Oscars: A Hollywood-Centric Spectacle?

Kolkata-based, globally acclaimed filmmaker Goutam Ghosh—hugely recognized, accoladed, and awarded internationally (with the prestigious Vittorio De Sica Award and UNESCO Award for Paar at Venice, among others)—fires the first salvo.

"Let's get something straight. The Oscars is an American award, essentially for English-language films and audiences, heavily tilted towards Hollywood and America. Sure, they award some great stuff too, but in no way are they representative of the best of the best. They have their own blueprint and dynamics—jury members, lobbying, mega-budget campaigns to connect, etc.—with so many gems that lack financial support automatically disqualified. It's basically an overblown, hugely over-the-top razzle-dazzle event where showbiz takes centre stage. Nothing wrong with it, and it continues to be a huge global draw. This year, reportedly, 19 million-plus people viewed it worldwide! Smart promotion and marketing, but when you compare it to Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, or other smaller but more quality-focused festivals, the Oscars don’t stand a chance—because their agenda is different. They showcase movies. Others unspool cinema."

Regarding our obsession with this must-watch ceremony, Ghosh attributes it to the uninformed and uneducated mass audience.

"I remember you once described our audience so accurately—movie-mad but cinema-illiterate! Spot on! Star power mesmerizes, as does dazzling dramabaazi. The Oscars are masters at giving the star-struck what they want in a spectacularly entertaining way. So, please enjoy the ceremony with popcorn and the beverage of your choice—but don't ever believe that the Oscars define the finest in cinema."

Marketing Mastery or Cinematic Merit?

Veteran film critic Saibal Chatterjee—widely respected, renowned, and a regular at most film festivals globally and locally—comes next.

"Gautam is dead right. The Oscars is a populist marketing product brilliantly promoted, sold, advertised, and presented to an OMG audience base—hypnotized even before the show begins! America is Hollywood, and Hollywood traditionally taught the world what glamour and showbiz designed to zap the mickey out of star-crazed fans is all about. Besides, it has the financial muscle and marketing skills to penetrate almost every country in the world, wiping out their local industries. Imagine—it has just one slot for the Best Foreign Film, which we in India celebrate, even at the nomination stage! Actually, the Oscars have totally colonized, dominated, and blown away our minds with their spectacular razzmatazz presentation, to the extent that even prestigious festivals and awards like Berlin don’t stand a chance. It’s reminiscent of our dazzling, star-driven Filmfare/National Award divide. The problem is, the Oscars are so deeply entrenched in our minds that the event and its legacy can never be ignored or replaced.”

Everything considered, the best way to connect with the Oscars is to see it as a 10-star entertainment package and forget about the exploration of cinematic artistry, linear truth, or anything that resembles subjective value over objective worth. That elusive magic and mystique that truly defines great cinema—truth at 24 frames per second—is not what the Oscars are about.

Over to you, esteemed reader.