Aseem Chhabra

The wake-up call is for 5.30 am. It is March 25 -- Oscar morning.

In the US, it is still Sunday and people would be tying up loose ends, getting ready for Oscar night parties. Halfway across the world, in Mumbai, most people are still asleep.

The only reason I wake up at this hour is to catch the Oscar excitement on the Star Movies cable channel. I could have slept late and watched the rebroadcast of the show later in the evening. But by then the entire suspense would be over.

Plus, this is also a special moment for me. In 20 years, this would be first time I would watch the Oscar ceremony in India. Finally, I will be counted as a statistic -- one among the billion people in 180 countries watching the 74th Annual Academy Awards show.

I want to watch Julia [Roberts], Nicole [Kidman], Halle [Berry], Gwyneth [Paltrow], Denzel [Washington], Russell [Crowe], the three Toms [Cruise, Hanks and Wilkinson]. And countless other Hollywood stars as they walk on the red carpet. I might even catch a glimpse of our own desi stars -- Aamir Khan, Ashutosh Gowariker and their spouses.

And if all the Lagaan hysteria in the Indian print and broadcast media is to be believed, the three-hour-42-minute long Bollywood entry for the Oscar race -- Bhuvan [Aamir Khan's character in Lagaan] XI's victory over Captain Russell's [Paul Blackthorne] team is destined to win the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language film.

There have been prayer ceremonies for Lagaan. A cable news channel shows little kids dressed as Bhuvan and Gauri [Gracy Singh], dancing to Radha kaise na jale. 'We are dancing because we want Lagaan to win,' a spunky little girl says to the anchor person. People have been signing huge Lagaan posters, which would be delivered to Aamir Khan at his hotel in Los Angeles. I hope the posters did get to his hotel in time.

It is a huge, collective moment. It is a matter of national pride. And the entire country is holding its breath.

Excuse me, Amelie [French film] who?

My ride arrives at 6.15 a.m. We head to the Rediff.com office. The city is practically dead. The streets are empty. From my car window, the only activity I see is inside a Catholic church, where worshippers have gathered for an early morning mass. They will miss the Oscars, I think to myself.

The pre-Oscar show starts at 6.30 am. Watching the show while the sun is about to rise is almost surreal. It is bizarre to see [singer-songwriter] Chris Connelly so bright and cheerful this early in the morning. I have to keep reminding myself: it is only 5 pm in Hollywood.

But as the show begins -- over a breakfast of idlis, sambhar and coconut chutney, I realise that no matter where, I am still watching Hollywood at its best.

Alright, I am not eating dinner or drinking red wine in Manhattan, but the thrill is the same -- the excitement of seeing the faces of the winners, the forced smiles of some of the losers, nostalgic clips from Sidney Poitier's [who won an Honorary Oscar] and Robert Redford's [who won an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement] films, [singer] Randy Newman's win after 16 nominations, [filmmaker] Woody Allen's tribute to New York City and Hollywood.

And the ultimate surprise of the morning (or should I say evening) -- the best actress and actor Oscars for Halle Berry [Monster's Ball] and Denzel Washington [Training Day]. I get teary-eyed watching Halle cry on stage and laugh at just about all of [host] Whoopi Goldberg's jokes. I even catch a glimpse of Ashutosh Gowariker and his wife as the best foreign film award is announced.

A couple of minutes before that moment, artistes Sharon Stone and John Travolta walk on stage, looking very comfortable in each other's company. They giggle and laugh about the five nominated foreign films.

There is hushed silence and tension across the office in Mumbai. People leave their computers and walk away from their cubicles toward the nearest television sets. I imagine the entire nation coming to a standstill.

And the Oscar goes to No Man's Land.

Eight words. And the hopes and dreams of a nation of one billion people are dashed.

The next day's newspapers show Lagaan's stars, some wiping their tears while others look defeated and dejected. How could this happen to them? They had won the cricket game even though the odds were against them. Why this defeat?

But 24 hours later, despite a minor setback, the nation seems to have survived Lagaan's defeat. We did not win the Oscar, but India, Aamir Khan and Bollywood will survive and continue to thrive.

We had our 15 minutes of fame. A lot more people, especially in the US, now know how good our Bollywood films are.

Next year, India should nominate an even better film for the Oscar race. I wonder whether K3G (Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham) will qualify?

Aseem Chhabra is Senior Contributor, Rediff.com/ India Abroad. A New Yorker, he watched the Oscars in Mumbai for the first time in 20 years