Darbar charge preposterous, says Academy

Jun 12, 2011 |

IANS

Washington

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has dismissed as “unprecedented and preposterous” music composer Ismail Darbar’s charge that A.R. Rahman “bought” his Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire in 2009.

“It is not unusual for an individual to express the view that Academy members selected the wrong recipient for a particular award, but to charge that a win was achieved by underhanded means is unprecedented and preposterous,” the Oscar panel stated on Friday.
“We are not familiar with Ismail Darbar or with the evidence, if any has been offered, on which he is basing his assertion that A.R. Rahman received his Academy Awards through bribery of ‘Academy officials,’” Academy publicist Teni Melidonian said in an email to IANS.
“When we first became aware of the charge last week we regarded it as too ludicrous to require an official comment,” she said.
In 2009, Rahman did India proud by winning two Oscars. —IANS

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