And the desi Oscar goes to...

As Hollywood’s finest get set to walk the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to collect their Academy Awards, Sunday Times hands out its own statuettes for outstanding performances over the past year
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
O Panneerselvam

In a real breakout performance, O Panneerselvam played the inspired acolyte and made national headlines as he swore to stand up to Sasikala and her family, which unceremoniously shoved him out of the CM’s chair within weeks of Jayalalithaa’s death.There’s no act to match his meditating at her grave just yet.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Smriti Irani

In her new role as textile minister, she may not be centrestage but her performances in Parliament and outside have been truly dramatic in the past year. She stirred up passions and conflict on the JNU campus, Hyderabad Central University campus, and across the higher education sector when she was HRD minister. It’s a long-awaited award for Irani.
ACTOR/ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
The Trolls
They cross all lines — of class, caste, gender, logic — as they take down anyone and everyone, and keep the storyline moving with new twists. And there are sub-categories of trolls — bhakts, extreme liberals, commies, fundamentalists, misogynists, general meanies… but we’ll leave the classification for another list.
BEST DIRECTION
The judiciary

Carefully scripted stories come to life with the Supreme and high courts’ directions and orders on everything from NEET and drought to BCCI and prohibition. Their orders have had politicians and civil society seething or applauding, depending which side of the order they came out on. Almost every winner on this list will have to acknowledge the direction of the judiciary. (Except maybe the Trolls who are a law unto themselves.)
BEST PICTURE
Tamil Nadu

The gripping dramatisation of the affairs of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu over the past couple of months starred Panneerselvam, Sasikala and sundry members of her family, the late Jayalalithaa and her long-lost niece and nephew, and numerous chest-beating party members. Apart from the battle within the party, the state has been in the news since December for the death of Jayalalithaa, jallikattu protests and more.
DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
Samajwadi Party Pariwar

Father against son. Brothers in arms. Expulsions and rapid re-inductions. An election battle. And a fight for a cycle. It’s definitely an epic that requires detailed documenting.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

A show that started out as rather amusing has turned into a dark comedy. US president Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric, which has blown the lid off the deep schisms in US society, and his stance on immigration have created a suspense thriller — will he put curbs on visas for skilled workers and sink the dreams of hundreds of Indian IT professionals?
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Angry young men. Tense campus. Enough said.

SOUND EDITING/MIXING
Narendra Modi

He’s got acronyms for every occasion, and a few when there’s no occasion either. He can spin and splice every comment or insult into an opportunity to boost his image and government, the latest being his declaration that he’s proud to be a donkey that works hard for the country. The aural impact of the PM is truly immersive and sometimes stunning – like the day he announced demonetisation. And, of course, he’s made ‘mitron’ and ‘doston’ the new ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen’.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

The visage of the father of the nation has been employed in the most unusual ways and has triggered disputes. His glasses are the Swachh Bharat symbol, which have made their way to the new Rs 2,000 notes. PM Narendra Modi mimicked his iconic position at the charkha on the cover page of the Khadi Village Industries Commission calendar and diary, sparking protests. Then a Haryana minister said Gandhi would be removed from currency notes; he soon recanted, but Gandhi remains a visual spectacle.
BEST SCREENPLAY
Nihalani's Censor Board

After a year of proving how uptight it is, the Central Board of Film Certification headed by Pahlaj Nihalani capped its performance with a letter refusing certification to the film, Lipstick Under My Burkha. “The story is lady oriented, their fantasy above life. There are contanious sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a bit sensitive touch about one particular section of society,” the board said in its letter. Truly inspired writing, and we’re not talking just about the spelling and syntax.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav

Shot on a mobile phone camera against a snowy landscape this video told a clear yet gritty story. Tej Bahadur Yadav’s take on the deplorable quality of food served to jawans had all the essentials of a viral video, and opened up a can of worms. Unquestionably, his were shots that told many tales.