The opening match of the T20I series against Australia in Visakhapatnam had concluded last night. India secured a comfortable victory under the coastal floodlights, chasing down a moderate target with overs to spare.
By midnight, the Indian squad had returned to their hotel. The usual post-match debriefs were discarded. The players packed their kits quietly and retreated to their rooms, the atmosphere surprisingly relaxed. The cricket was done for the week. The next morning belonged to a different stage.
The hotel corridor was silent. Morning had barely broken over the city.
Inside his suite, Siddanth woke up long before the rest of the team. He walked into the small kitchenette, filled the coffee machine, and pressed the brewing button. The rich smell of dark roast filled the quiet room. He poured himself a cup, walked over to the seating area, and turned on the television.
The screen flickered to life. The global broadcast of the Academy Awards pre-show was already underway.
He sat down in the armchair, resting his coffee cup on the side table. As the camera panned across the red carpet outside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, his phone began to ring on the desk.
He picked it up and accepted the video call.
The screen resolved into the warmly lit living room of the Shamshabad farmhouse.
Krithika was sitting in the center of the large sofa, wrapped in a comfortable shawl to ward off the early morning chill. Beside her sat Anjali, holding a large mug of coffee and a bowl of snacks. The room was softly lit to avoid disturbing the twins, Rishi and Aadhya, who were fast asleep in their dual cribs near the far wall.
"When did you wake up," Krithika said, her voice a soft whisper through the phone speaker.
"Yeah, Woke up at six," Siddanth replied softly, adjusting the phone on a small stand so he could watch the television and the call simultaneously. "Did you guys sleep at all?"
"Barely," Anjali whispered, leaning toward the camera. "We have been watching the red carpet arrivals for an hour. Feroz looks like he hasn't slept in a week."
"Looks like we are attending the Oscars together after all," Krithika smiled gently.
Siddanth smiled back, taking a slow sip of his coffee. "It feels a bit more comfortable from this chair than it would in a tuxedo."
"We will watch it together."
Half a world away, the doors of the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles closed. The red carpet had ended. The thousands of guests, wearing tailored tuxedos and designer gowns, found their seats in the massive, beautifully lit auditorium.
The cameras panned across the crowd, capturing the faces of global cinema.
Situated in the middle rows of the orchestra seating, near the center aisle, was a large cluster of seats reserved for the team behind Ramayana: Ayodhya Khanda.
They did not look like the typical Hollywood delegation.
Prabhas sat quietly in his tailored black tuxedo. He offered a gentle smile whenever a camera swept past their section. Beside him, Sushant Singh Rajput looked impeccably sharp, though his hands were clasped tightly together, his eyes constantly scanning the grand stage and the intricate architecture of the theatre. Gopichand sat comfortably on the other side, projecting his usual composure.
Feroz sat beside the actors, checking the event program on his phone. Next to him sat V. Vijayendra Prasad, observing the spectacle with the patient, quiet dignity of a veteran storyteller. Anirudh Ravichander was seated near the aisle, tapping his fingers in a rapid, nervous rhythm against his knee.
Surrounding them were the true architects of the film. The lead animation directors, the VFX supervisors, the art directors, and the music production team. These were men and women who had spent last 2 years staring at monitors in dark rooms in Hitec City. Now, they were sitting in the Dolby Theatre, looking slightly uncomfortable in their formal wear, but carrying an undeniable sense of pride.
Siddanth was not there. On social media, people had already noticed the absence of the director and producer, noting that he was currently on international duty for a cricket series in India.
The 91st Academy Awards opened without a traditional host. Instead, the legendary rock band Queen, with Adam Lambert, delivered a rousing musical performance that brought the Hollywood crowd to its feet. Following the music, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Maya Rudolph walked out onto the stage to deliver the opening monologue.
Siddanth watched from his hotel room. He preferred this format. It moved quickly, skipping the lengthy comedic sketches that usually dragged the ceremony out.
In Shamshabad, Anjali held a small notepad. She had meticulously written down her predictions for every single category.
"I like the opening trio," Anjali whispered, checking a box on her notepad. "But they are taking too long with the supporting actor categories."
"Patience, Anju," Krithika whispered back, taking a sip of her coffee.
The initial awards for sound editing, makeup, and costume design were handed out. The Indian delegation applauded politely for the winners, waiting for their own categories to arrive.
Eventually, the lights dimmed. The stage screens shifted to display musical notes. Tessa Thompson and Michael B. Jordan walked out to the center microphone to present the award for Best Original Score.
The auditorium quieted down.
"Music is the emotional language of cinema," Tessa Thompson began. "It tells the audience what to feel before a single word is spoken."
Michael B. Jordan nodded. "The nominees for Best Original Score are..."
The massive screens behind the stage played short snippets of the nominated films.
When the clip for Ramayana played, the haunting, heavy brass notes of Lanka mixed with the delicate flute of Ayodhya echoed beautifully through the Dolby Theatre. The unique blend of traditional Indian instruments and modern orchestral arrangements sounded powerful in the massive auditorium.
Michael B. Jordan opened the red envelope.
He looked at the card. He paused, a small smile touching his lips.
"And the Oscar goes to..."
The theatre held its breath.
"...Ramayana: Ayodhya Khanda."
The auditorium erupted in applause.
At the Indian table, Anirudh Ravichander froze. He stared straight ahead, his mind blanking. Prabhas turned immediately, placing a heavy hand on the young composer's back. Feroz leaned over the seats and shook hands enthusiastically with the sound engineers. The animation team cheered loudly.
Thousands of miles away in Hyderabad, Krithika gasped loudly and threw her hands in the air. "Yes!"
Siddanth leaned closer to his phone immediately.
"Shhh... Krithi... quiet," Siddanth whispered quickly, trying to suppress a massive smile. "The twins."
Krithika immediately slapped both hands over her mouth. She looked toward the corner of the room. Anjali burst into silent, shaking laughter, burying her face into a sofa cushion to muffle the sound.
In the crib, Rishi briefly turned over in his sleep, mumbling softly. The three of them froze, staring at the wooden structure. After a few agonizing seconds, the baby settled back into a steady breathing rhythm. They all relaxed.
On the television, Anirudh walked up the steps to the stage. He accepted the golden statuette from Michael B. Jordan.
He adjusted the microphone. He kept his speech very brief.
"Thank you to the Academy," Anirudh said, his voice trembling slightly before finding its rhythm. "This belongs to the hundreds of classical musicians in Chennai who poured their souls into those instruments. Thank you to Siddanth Deva for trusting my vision, and to the animation team for creating visuals that gave the music a purpose. Namaskaram."
He bowed respectfully and walked off the stage to a warm round of applause.
The ceremony continued. The pacing settled back into its usual rhythm.
An hour later, Samuel L. Jackson and Brie Larson walked out onto the stage to present the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
V. Vijayendra Prasad watched the stage quietly. The nominees were read. The cinematic adaptation of the Valmiki text was highlighted on the screen, showcasing the delicate balance of preserving Dharma while crafting an engaging global screenplay.
Samuel L. Jackson opened the envelope. Another film was announced as the winner.
In the Dolby Theatre, Vijayendra Prasad smiled warmly. He clapped his hands together, offering respectful applause for the winning writer. Prabhas, Sushant, and Gopichand joined the applause, showing class.
In the hotel room, Siddanth took a sip of his coffee.
"The nomination itself is huge," Siddanth told Krithika through the video call.
"It is," Krithika agreed softly, watching the veteran writer on her screen. "He looks very proud just to be sitting there."
The ceremony entered its final hour. The major categories arrived.
Michelle Yeoh and Pharrell Williams stepped up to the microphone to present Best Animated Feature.
The atmosphere in the Dolby Theatre shifted. The animation branch of the Academy was highly competitive. For decades, it had been dominated exclusively by two major Western studios. Breaking into this category was considered nearly impossible for a foreign, independent studio.
Michelle Yeoh looked at the teleprompter.
"Animation is a medium without boundaries," she said clearly. "It allows us to build worlds that cannot exist, and tell stories that survive forever. The nominees for Best Animated Feature are..."
The clips of all the nominees played on the screen.
Pharrell Williams opened the red envelope.
He pulled out the card. He looked at it. A small, respectful smile touched his lips.
"And the Oscar goes to..."
The pause felt like an eternity.
"...Ramayana: Ayodhya Khanda."
The Dolby Theatre exploded.
It was not polite applause. A massive section of the auditorium stood up instantly. The standing ovation rippled through the crowd, acknowledging the groundbreaking artistic achievement that had just conquered the industry.
At the Indian table, the reaction was unfiltered emotion.
Feroz covered his face with his hands, letting out a long, heavy breath. The lead animators in the back row were openly crying, hugging each other. The meticulous work in dark studios had finally been validated on the highest stage in the world.
Feroz stood up, wiping his eyes, and enthusiastically waved for the entire delegation to follow him.
Prabhas stood up, pulling Sushant and Gopichand into a group hug. He looked at the veteran writer, Vijayendra Prasad, and gently guided him into the aisle. Anirudh followed, grinning from ear to ear.
The entire Ramayana team—actors, producers, musicians, and animators—walked down the aisle together as a unified front, drawing an even louder cheer from the auditorium.
As they walked up the stairs, Michelle Yeoh handed the golden statuette to Feroz. Feroz looked at it, deeply emotional.
Feroz turned and handed the Oscar to Sushant Singh Rajput. Prabhas stepped up right behind the young actor, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, giving a quiet, deliberate nod toward the microphone.
Sushant hesitated initially, looking at the senior actor and the producer, unsure if he should take the spotlight. Prabhas simply smiled, stepping back alongside Gopichand and Vijayendra Prasad to let him pass.
Sushant stepped up to the microphone, holding the statuette, looking out at the greatest filmmakers in the world.
The applause slowly died down.
"Thank you," Sushant began, his voice clear and grounded. "Thank you to the Academy for this incredible honor. And thank you to the Indian audience, and the worldwide viewers, who embraced a story from a culture they did not know."
He looked down at the statuette in his hands.
"When we started this journey, we wanted to tell a story about duty, about sacrifice, and about the strength of compassion," Sushant said. "But I don't think any actor should accept this award alone."
He stepped back from the microphone slightly.
"Because we just lent our voices," Sushant explained softly. "The real magic happened in the dark rooms in Hyderabad."
He gestured toward the audience, inviting the team. "To the lead animators, the VFX supervisors, and the art directors."
The audience delivered another warm round of applause as the technical team walked forward. They looked overwhelmed. One of the lead animators became visibly emotional, wiping his eyes as he stood under the bright stage lights. Another supervisor simply smiled in disbelief, staring at the statuette in Sushant's hands.
They stood together on the stage, representing their entire industry, before walking off to a sustained ovation.
In the hotel room, Siddanth smiled, resting his chin on his hand, watching his team walk off the stage. A sense of satisfaction settled over him.
On the phone screen, Krithika was almost jumping on the sofa. Anjali pulled her into a tight hug. Krithika wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks, overwhelmed by the scale of the victory.
Siddanth watched them celebrate through the digital screen.
"They earned it," Siddanth said simply.
The ceremony reached its climax. The final award of the night.
Julia Roberts walked out onto the stage to present Best Picture.
The entire auditorium grew silent. This was the most prestigious award in global cinema.
The nominees were read aloud. When Ramayana: Ayodhya Khanda was announced as a nominee, the applause in the Dolby Theatre was generous.
Siddanth had never expected to win this category. Neither had Feroz. The nomination itself had already changed history, making it the first Indian animated film to stand alongside live-action epics for the top prize.
Julia Roberts opened the envelope. Green Book was announced as the winner.
The Indian delegation stood up immediately, offering standing applause to the winning filmmakers. Prabhas smiled. Feroz clapped proudly. There was no disappointment at their table. Only immense pride.
Julia Roberts briefly acknowledged the historic nature of the nominees before the global broadcast concluded.
Inside the Dolby Theatre, the broadcast ended, and the attendees began to mingle. The rigid seating arrangement dissolved.
Hollywood filmmakers walked over to the Indian table to introduce themselves to Feroz and the animation directors. Veteran animation executives from rival studios exchanged business cards with the Indian VFX team, curious about the proprietary software they had used. Journalists gathered near the exits, waiting for quotes. The Indian team remained polite, grounded, and professional, absorbing the incredible networking opportunity without losing their composure.
In Visakhapatnam, Siddanth's phone began buzzing immediately. He switched the video call to a group voice call.
Arjun's voice came through first, laughing loudly. "We actually did it."
Sameer joined the call a second later. "When you get back to Hyderabad, we're celebrating properly. No excuses this time. I am booking the venue."
Siddanth laughed, agreeing to the demand. "Book the venue, Sameer. I'll be there."
His messaging app flooded with texts from his teammates located in the rooms down the hall.
Virat Kohli:Skipper! What a morning! Huge congratulations to the whole team.
MS Dhoni:Brilliant achievement, Sid. Very proud.
Rohit Sharma:You actually won an Oscar while sitting in a hotel room in Vizag. Incredible.
Ravichandran Ashwin:The animation quality deserved nothing less. History created.
Ravindra Jadeja:Can I get a VIP screening for Part 2?
Bhuvneshwar Kumar:Congratulations Captain!
KL Rahul:Unreal stuff. Proud of the team.
Yuzvendra Chahal:Now don't start asking us to audition for Part 2. I can only spin a ball, not dub lines.
Twitter transformed into a continuous stream of praise from the biggest names in the Indian film industry.
SS Rajamouli: The barriers are broken. Indian cinema has truly arrived on the global stage. A masterclass in vision by Siddanth Deva and flawless execution by the Nexus team.
Chiranjeevi: A proud moment for every Indian today. Our mythology recognized at the highest level.
Nagarjuna: Sushant inviting the animators to come forward stage was beautiful. True class.
Jr NTR: Prabhas anna looking majestic at the Oscars! Massive congratulations to the entire Ramayana team!
Ram Charan: History! The visual standard set by this film will inspire generations.
Mahesh Babu: An incredible feat by the animation team and Siddanth Deva.
Allu Arjun: Indian animation just conquered the world!
Mohanlal: A glorious achievement that makes us all proud.
Kamal Haasan: The true essence of our epics told with technical perfection. Bravo.
Amitabh Bachchan: T 3099 - A historic morning for India. The Ramayana wins at the Oscars. A moment of immense pride for our culture and our artists.
Shah Rukh Khan: Woke up to the best news. Taking our stories to the world and winning. Proud of the whole team.
Aamir Khan: A benchmark in storytelling and visual art. Congratulations on the Oscar.
Hrithik Roshan: The visuals were breathtaking, but the emotion won the award. Incredible.
Ranbir Kapoor: A massive leap for Indian cinema.
Rajinikanth: Congratulations to the team of Ramayana. A proud day for India.
Yash: Inspiring work! When you back your culture with world-class quality, the world watches.
The fans took over the social media timelines, dividing their celebrations across different aspects of the achievement.
@RamBhakt108: Our greatest epic just won an Oscar. I am literally in tears right now. Jai Shri Ram! 🙏
@MythologyGeek: The fact that they respected the source material and won the biggest award in cinema proves that our stories are universal.
@EpicStoryteller: The pacing of the film is what got it the win. It didn't rush the emotional moments.
@VedicAesthetics: A proud day for our culture. The ancient texts reaching the global stage beautifully.
@HistoryIndia: They proved you don't need to modernize the core values to make an award-winning film.
@DarlingFansHq: Prabhas anna pushing Sushant to go to the stage instead of taking the spotlight himself. He is the most humble superstar in the world! 👑
@PrabhasArmy: Darling looked so handsome in that tuxedo! He didn't even want to speak, just let the team take the glory. ❤️
@RebelStarLife: Our King at the Oscars! So proud of him for backing this project!
@Prabhas_Trends: The way he smiled when they won. He is truly a gem of a person.
@Darling_Prabhas_OFC: From Baahubali to the Oscars. What a journey for Prabhas!
@SSR_FanClub: Sushant's speech was so elegant! Bringing the animators to the front was the best thing ever! 😭😭
@Fanatic_SSR: He spoke so well. He looked so confident up there. So proud of him!
@MovieNerd_SSR: That speech was beautiful. He understood that animation is a team effort.
@Sushant_Daily: His voice acting as Lakshmana was fierce, but his speech today was pure grace.
@SSR_Forever_Love: He represented India perfectly on that stage.
@Gopichand_Trends: Gopichand sitting there looking like a boss. His Ravana deserved all the recognition! 😈🔥
@MachoStarFans: Seeing our hero at the Dolby Theatre is surreal. What a journey for him!
@ActionHeroGopi: The voice acting he did for Ravana set the tone for the whole movie. Glad he was there.
@Gopichand_FC: He brought so much depth to the villain role. Truly Oscar-worthy performance.
@TeluguMemes: Gopichand in a tuxedo looks more intimidating than half the Hollywood actors there. 🗿
@VFX_Artist_Talk: Seeing an Indian lead animator hold an Oscar is giving so much hope to all the VFX students in the country right now. 🎓
@ArtOfAnimation: They beat the major Western studios at their own game using an in-house rendering engine. Indian VFX just leveled up permanently. 💻✨
@AnimeIndia: The Aether Engine is revolutionary! The lighting on the Sarayu river alone deserved that Oscar! 🔥
@Animation_Daily: The cloth physics and the facial capture technology were miles ahead of the competition.
@TechBro_Hyd: Hyderabad tech boys winning Oscars in Los Angeles. What a time to be alive. 🏙️
@CricketForever: Siddanth Deva wins a T20 match at night and wins an Oscar in the morning. The man is literally living career mode on easy difficulty. 🏏🏆
@Deva_Supremacy: He couldn't attend the Oscars because he was representing India in a bilateral series. The man literally chose cricket duty over Hollywood. 🐐
@BlueArmy_Hyd: Our captain won for India yesterday... and his movie won an Oscar today. What a legend.
@StatNerd_Ind: Winning a World Cup, building a billion dollar company, and producing an Oscar-winning movie before turning 28. The math is not mathing.
@GullyCricketGod: He just sat in his hotel room and watched his team win the biggest award in cinema. Ultimate CEO behavior. 💼
The morning slowly slipped toward noon.
The video call finally ended with a few quiet goodbyes.
Krithika checked on the twins in the corner of the living room. They were still sleeping peacefully, unaware of the global history that had just been written.
In his hotel room in Visakhapatnam, Siddanth stood up from the armchair. He walked over to his travel bag and changed into his blue Indian team training clothes.
He looked once more at the television screen. The sports news channels had already picked up the footage, endlessly replaying the Best Animated Feature announcement alongside clips of his cricket highlights.
A small smile touched his lips.
He picked up the remote and switched the television off. The room fell silent again.
He picked up his heavy cricket kit from the floor, slung it over his broad shoulder, and walked out the door, leaving the glamour of Hollywood behind to join his team for the afternoon training session.
After two years of meticulous planning, Ramayana: Ayodhya Khanda had achieved exactly what everyone had hoped for—Best Animated Feature. The Best Picture nomination was the spectacular bonus that shattered boundaries, but the real victory belonged to the unsung artists whose tireless work had finally been recognized on the world's biggest stage.