It’s another Oscars year. Hollywood is prepared for its grandest (and most notorious) night for the 97th time; the stage is set, the stars are in alignment.
Finally, the 2025 Academy Awards have arrived, bringing with them the customary blend of red carpet glamour, whispered politics, and the self-congratulation that seems to be unavoidable at this stage. This year’s awards race at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles has been everything but predictable, with independent newcomer Anora and the heavyweight European Conclave embroiled in a final struggle that has been difficult to anticipate.
While Edward Berger’s drama situated in the Vatican has relied on BAFTA momentum and a SAG Ensemble victory, Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning street-level character study has amassed significant guild wins. These two trajectories indicate vastly different Academy voting sensibilities. Additionally, there are dark horse candidates like Brady Corbet. James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown or The Brutalist have the potential to subtly upend everything.
Whether the Academy likes it or not, history is already being written. Though off-screen scandals have nearly completely derailed Emilia Pérez’s awards-season trajectory, the film comes into the evening with an incredible 13 nominations, the most ever for a non-English language film.
Mikey Madison’s breakthrough performance in Anora contrasts with Demi Moore’s late-career metamorphosis in The Substance. This classic Oscar conundrum pits anointing the future against recognizing longevity, with the added irony that Hollywood rarely honors either for very long. In the meantime, Timothée Chalamet and Adrien Brody compete for Best Actor, which may be a reminder that Hollywood still adores a well-known face or a lyrical passing of the torch.
Conan O’Brien, a late-night veteran presenting the Oscars for the first time, is in charge of overseeing the mayhem. It remains to be seen whether his humor is absorbed by or breaks through the typical bloat of the evening. On Monday, March 3 at 5:30 AM IST, Indian audiences may watch the event live on JioHotstar and Star Movies.
