Memorable acceptance speeches at Hollywood award functions

The recentlyconcluded Golden Globes has set the Hollywood award season in motion Like they say in showbiz the show will go on as major as well as notsomajor award ceremonies will continue to take place over the next few weeks And along with the goldhued gong the winners from the film fraternity will be expected to deliver an acceptance speech on stageThe usual routine is making a list of all the people the awardee wishes to thank but many a times we come across film celebrities mentioning something that wasnt really expected thus making their speech memorableIt could be anything from a recent political event that concerns them to a social comment that might be objective in nature or just personal belief for that matter Regardless such speeches are always welcome as they not only up the entertainment quotient but also enlighten the world at large hitlist highlights a few of themAR RahmanFigure of speech Daniel Boyles Slumdog Millionaire shocked the world with eight Oscar wins including Best Picture and Best Director in 2009 But for desis back home what really mattered was AR Rahman picking up two Oscars for Best Song and Best Music During his speech the maestro made a sly reference to the communal politics by saying All my life I have had a choice of hate and love I chose love and I am hereGeorge ClooneyFigure of speech While accepting his Lifetime Achievement Award at this years Golden Globes the celebrated actorfilmmaker took the opportunity to express his appreciation for his wife mdash human rights activist Amal Alamuddin mdash before launching words in support of the muchpublicised Paris freedom march He even ended his speech with Je suis Charlie in support of those who were gunned down at Charlie Hebdos office in ParisAl GoreFigure of speech There are very few people around who can claim to have won an Oscar as well as a Nobel Al Gores activism makes him an interesting exception When he won the Oscar for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth 2006 he cracked a joke on him losing the presidency battle to George W Bush before launching into remarks on how our planet has everything except the will to act against global warmingHalle Berry and Lupita NyongoFigure of speech So far only seven black actresses have won an Oscar But two of them Berry mdash who won for her leading role in Monster Ball 2001 and Nyongo mdash who won for her supporting role in 12 Years a Slave 2013 mdash ensured they didnt forget their roots Both thanked their predecessors as well as every nameless faceless person of colour without making a huge cry about racism The point was made though and effectively soJared LetoFigure of speech Last year Jared finally won an Oscar for his drag act in the superserious Dallas Buyers Club After accepting the golden statuette he thanked his mother for taking care of him despite being a teenager herself during his birth Later he plugged his music band too Finally he paraded off with an awkward speech rallying support to democracy in Ukraine and Venezuela at the timeJuliette BinocheFigure of speech In 2010 when this French actress attended the Cannes in regards to Abbas Kiarostamis Certified Copy Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was supposed to be on the jury But due to imprisonment by Iranian government he couldnt be part of the worlds biggest film festival Turns out while discussing his arrest Binoche broke down without making a single remarkMichael MooreFigure of speech Once you take a look at his filmography its obvious that this documentary makers pursuit of truth mdash or propaganda depending on your perception mdash is relentless No wonder when he won the Best Documentary Award for Bowling for Columbine 2002 he couldnt resist from taking a dig at George Bush Jrs socalled war on terrorism So much so that the orchestra chimed in to make him stop his speechSean PennFigure of speech Known for his eccentric behaviour he got on stage to accept the Best Actor Award for his performance in Milk 2008 After thanking everyone under the sun except his then wife actress Robin Wright Penn touched both political chords mdash by praising President Obamas election mdash and social conventions mdash by ostracising the homophobic protestors gathered outsideAsghar FarhadiFigure of speech When A Separation bagged the Best Foreign Language film in 2012 it was a victory for Iranian cinema per se After all despite so many laurels from across the globe no other Iranian film has managed to win an Oscar As a result director Asghar Farhadis speech on the podium was politically relevant as he made a case for those of his fellow countrymen who have absolutely nothing to do with politicsTom HanksFigure of speech Only four actors have won backtoback Oscars Tom Hanks happens to be one of them His debut Academy win took place at the 1994 Oscars for his portrayal of a gay lawyer in Philadelphia 1993 And during his acceptance speech he struggled to keep himself from crying Whats more significant is his mentioning of two personalities mdash both gay mdash from his early days who influenced him towards taking up acting as a careerVanessa RedgraveFigure of speech Theres a reason why this particular British actress was hailed for her outspokenness When she won the Best Actress in a Supporting Role gong for her role in Julia 1978 she decided to direct her acceptance speech to bash the Jewish Defense League Redgrave didnt hesitate to call them a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums for criticising her participation in a Palestinian documentary Too intense but well playedRobert De NiroFigure of speech This legendary actor was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Golden Globes in 2012 However during his acceptance speech he cracked what might some construe as either black humour or racist jokes He even mentioned coloured actors such as Javier Bardem and Megan Fox while he was at it A year later his performance in The Silver Linings Playbook was snubbed by the very award function next yearSharmeen Obaid ChinoyFigure of speech Her touching film Saving Face garnered the Best Documentary Short Award in 2012 The Pakistani filmmaker along with codirector Daniel Junge got on stage to accept the honours Junge took the opportunity to thank his producers and wife while Chinoy dedicated her entire speech to the people of Pakistan especially those who were fighting against the rampant acid attacks on women in her country