Even as the story of making of the atom bomb, ‘Oppenheimer’, emerged as a big winner at the BAFTA Awards, India’s Deepika Padukone, who was one of the presenters at the event, dazzled the paps and the audience in a glittering saree, ditching Western outfits.

A Reuters report stated that ‘Oppenheimer’, a three-hour epic about the making of the atomic bomb in World War II, was the big winner at the BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday, winning the top honours for best film and best director as well as five other awards.

One of the highest-grossing movies of 2023, it also won awards for leading actor Cillian Murphy, who portrays the American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, supporting actor Robert Downey Jr, editing, cinematography and original score.

Nolan, who won his first BAFTA for directing, thanked his cast and crew in his acceptance speech.

“In the real world there are all kinds of individuals and organisations who have fought long and hard to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world… in accepting this I do want to acknowledge their efforts,” he added.

Like Nolan, Murphy had been favourite to win his category and in his acceptance speech, he referred to the man known as “the father of the atomic bomb”.

“Oppenheimer was this colossally naughty, complex character and he meant different things to different people,” Murphy said, “One man’s monster is another man’s hero. That’s why I love movies because we have a space to celebrate and interrogate and investigate that complexity.”

Emma Stone picked up the leading actress award for sex-charged Gothic comedy ‘Poor Things’, which won five prizes overall.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph won the supporting actress prize for her role in ‘The Holdovers’, a comedy set in a boys’ boarding school.

‘The Zone of Interest’, about the commandant of Auschwitz and his family living next to the Nazi death camp, won three prizes – outstanding British film, film not in the English language and sound.

Courtroom drama ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ won the first prize of the night, original screenplay. Adapted screenplay went to comedy-drama ‘American Fiction’, which is based on 2001 novel ‘Easure’ by Percival Everett.

Best documentary went to ‘20 Days in Mariupol’, journalist Mstyslav Chernov’s personal account of the siege of the Ukrainian city in 2022.

“This is not about us, this about Ukraine, about people of Mariupol… the day before yesterday another Ukrainian city has fallen… many cities before that,” Chernov said in his acceptance speech.

As well as the celebrities attending the ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall by the River Thames in central London, the guest list also included BAFTA president Prince William.

Known as the BAFTAs (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), the ceremony was hosted by actor David Tennant.

Deepika Glitters in a Saree: Meanwhile, a PTI report said that actor Deepika Padukone, who presented an award at the 77th British Academy Film Awards, ditched the usual award season gown look for a glittering saree.

The actor presented filmmaker Jonathan Glazer with the Bafta for the ‘film not in English’ language category at a ceremony on Sunday.

“The incredible stories nominated in this category depict the real and imagined world that stay with us long after the credits roll. From the Alps to the Andes, South Poland to Seoul and to Ukraine…” the 38-year-old actor said before announcing Glazer’s ‘The Zone of Interest’ as the winner.

For the event, Deepika donned a couture saree and custom-jewellery by Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

The actor, who was last seen in Hindi film ‘Fighter’, introduced a performance of ‘Naatu Naatu’ at the Oscars last year. The song eventually won an Oscar.

Apart from Deepika, the award also saw presenters like David Beckham, singer Dua Lipa, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Grant, and Lily Collins.