New Delhi, February 23 Actor Alia Bhatt, who made her debut as a presenter at the 79th edition of the BAFTA Awards, surprised fans by starting her speech in Hindi to emphasize the universal nature of cinematic language.
Bhatt presented the Best Film (not in English Language) BAFTA award to Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier for his film "Sentimental Value" at the ceremony on Sunday.
"Namaste! This award is for a film that is not in English," Bhatt said.
"Don't reach for the subtitles just yet. I was simply saying that the next award is for a film that is not in the English language. Because while films speak in countless voices, what we always celebrate is the language of cinema. And that is one that we all understand. And the incredible nominees are," she added.
Bhatt then opened the envelope to reveal the winner. "Sentimental Value," which is also nominated in multiple categories at the Oscars, was the first Norwegian film to win at BAFTA.
"We live in a time when images are presented to us at an incredibly rapid pace. Many of these images are seen on our phones, and they are often used to sell us ideas, things, ideologies, and to persuade us to use moving images for that purpose. I believe that the films this year are films that are made for deep viewing, for humanistic viewing, where we can sit together in spaces like this and experience the world through empathy, curiosity, and to explore the possibilities of the theatrical experience," Trier said while accepting the award.
Bhatt was one of a star-studded lineup of celebrities as presenters, which included Alicia Vikander, Bryan Cranston, Cillian Murphy, Delroy Lindo, Emily Watson, Ethan Hawke, Gillian Anderson, Glenn Close, Hannah Waddingham, Monica Bellucci, Rege-Jean Page, Riz Ahmed, and Stellan Skargard, among others.
