No 'Joyland': Indian film 'RRR' scores two Golden Globe nominations

'RRR' is the only Indian film to make the final five out of a clutch of other entries from India

SS Rajamouli's well-acclaimed Telugu title film RRR has received two nominations, Best Non-English Language Film and Best Original Song for the 80th Golden Globes Award, which will take place in January. Saim Sadiq's directorial Joyland, however, was nowhere to be found on the nominee list unveiled in Los Angeles on Monday.

RRR, which is based on the lives of real-life fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju, has become a worldwide sensation due to its stellar performances and action-packed scenes. Amongst many, the film stars Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, and Shriya Saran.

RRR is also the only Indian film that qualified as a candidate out of five submissions, including Gangubai Kathiawadi, Kantara, and Chhello Show. With two nominations, many believe RRR has more probability to land an Oscar in March 2023.

In other news, Irish black comedy The Banshees of Inisherin also topped the Golden Globes nominations Monday, as the scandal-struck Hollywood award show attempts to rebuild its reputation following last year's boycott by A-listers and studios.

The movie from Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures picked up a whopping eight nods, including nominations for its star Colin Farrell, director Martin McDonagh, and for best comedy or musical -- the most achieved by any film since Cold Mountain back in 2003.

Surreal sci-fi Everything Everywhere All at Once earned six nominations, while raucous Hollywood Golden Age drama Babylon and Steven Spielberg's deeply personal The Fabelmans took five each.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which organizes the film and television awards, has scrambled to reform itself since long-harboured criticisms of the group's practices went public in early 2021.

Tinseltown completely distanced itself from the Globes last January over members' lack of diversity, alleged corruption and lack of professionalism, and the show took place behind closed doors.

But broadcaster NBC has gambled that it is time to bring back the glitzy gala, which will take place in Beverly Hills on January 10.

Tinseltown is waiting to see which stars will show up.

Brendan Fraser, who was nominated Monday for his starring role in The Whale, a drama about a morbidly obese man, has already said he will not attend the awards.

"It's because of the history that I have with them. And my mother didn't raise a hypocrite," Fraser told GQ last month.

Fraser has alleged that a former HFPA president, Philip Berk, sexually assaulted him at an industry event in 2003. Berk denies the incident, and has since been expelled from the group for calling Black Lives Matter a "racist hate movement."

Tom Cruise, who was widely seen as a strong contender in the acting categories this awards season for his lead role in Top Gun: Maverick, was overlooked by Globes voters Monday.

Last year, Cruise returned his three Golden Globes to the HFPA in protest of its behaviour.

Star power

Nominations for the 80th Golden Globes were unveiled on NBC's Today program Monday.

The Globes honour both film and television. Unlike the Oscars, the show divides its movies into "drama" and "comedy or musical" categories -- hence boosting the star power by increasing the number of nominees.

Along with Spielberg's The Fabelmans and Top Gun: Maverick, other films nominated for best drama included Baz Luhrmann's rock-and-roll biopic Elvis, and James Cameron's eagerly awaited Avatar sci-fi sequel.

Tar, which stars Cate Blanchett as a ruthless classical conductor, took the final drama spot.

In comedy or musical Banshees, Everything Everywhere and Babylon were joined by whodunnit sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Cannes festival Palme d'Or-winner Triangle of Sadness.

No female movie directors were nominated this year. Spielberg, Cameron, Luhrmann and McDonagh will vie with Everything Everywhere directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.

A-listers among the acting nominees included Daniel Craig (Glass Onion) Hugh Jackman (The Son) Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and Olivia Colman (Empire of Light.)

Danielle Deadwyler's powerful performance as the mother of 14-year-old lynching victim Emmett Till in Till was among the morning's most surprising omissions.

On the television side, the comedy Abbott Elementary led with five nominations, while Netflix's British royals drama The Crown was among several shows earning four nods.

'Not the old HFPA'

In response to last year's controversy, the HFPA has expanded its voting body to include people with more diverse backgrounds, banned members from accepting gifts, and halted its in-person press conferences with stars, which were often derided for the improper behaviour of some members.

"This is really not the old HFPA anymore," president Helen Hoehne recently told The Hollywood Reporter.

"I respect Brendan Fraser's decision... And I personally, sincerely hope there's a way for us to move forward and we are able to regain Mr Fraser's trust, along with the trust of the entire entertainment community," she added.

Still, powerful Hollywood publicists remain divided over the Globes, with some expressing scepticism about the reforms -- and a reluctance to return to the event with their stars.

A plan by US billionaire Todd Boehly to spin off the awards show into a for-profit entity and pay salaries to members has raised eyebrows.