Resul Pookutty (right) at Kodak Theatre. (AFP)

Los Angeles, Feb. 23: The world of music has a new pairing to reckon with following last night’s Oscars — Rahman and Resul.

A.R. Rahman took two Oscars, sending old Academy award hands rushing to their history books to check whether the same person had won two statuettes in the same year.

Rahman’s Oscars were for the best original score and for the best original song in Slumdog Millionaire. He had been nominated twice for the best original song — once for Saya, performed with the British/Sri Lankan rapper MIA (who has just had a baby and could not attend), and a second time for Jai Ho.

After he had sung both songs with an energetic performance by an accompanying dance troupe, it was pretty obvious that the one other song in contention, Down to Earth from the film Wall-E, didn’t have a chance. When Down to Earth was sung simultaneously with Jai Ho, the rousing beat of the latter drowned out the former.

Resul collected the Oscar for best sound mixing, along with fellow musicians Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke.

While the American winners mentioned colleagues in acceptance speeches, both Rahman and Resul touched, however briefly, on Indian philosophical and religious concepts.

“Before coming, I was excited and terrified,” said Rahman. “The last time I felt like that was during my marriage. There’s a dialogue from a Hindi film called mere paas ma hai, which means I have nothing but I have a mother, so mother’s here, her blessings are there with me.”

This reference to a mother must have baffled Hollywood. The only mother most can readily recall is the one from Psycho. Rahman thanked a number of colleagues, including lyricist Gulzar and “my musicians in Chennai and Mumbai”, and then uttered a few words in Tamil, probably another first in Oscar history. “And I want to tell something in Tamil, which says, which I normally say after every award which is... God is great.”

He was then on stage to collect his second Oscar for Jai Ho, which could become a dance number popular with western DJs. Rahman was again brief and charming: “I just want to thank again the whole crew of Slumdog Millionaire, especially Danny Boyle for giving such a great opportunity. The essence of the film is optimism and the power of hope. All my life, I had a choice of hate and love. I chose love and I’m here. God bless.”

Later he spoke of the mood music of Mumbai. “Mumbai is actually rediscovering itself, its tradition,” said Rahman. “It’s got a wealth of extraordinary musical culture. I think music appeals when the film and music go together.”

Resul Pookutty, who spoke for his two colleagues who shared the Oscar for best sound mixing, intrigued Americans by referring to “Om”. “I come from a country and a civilisation that has given the universal word. That word is preceded by silence, followed by more silence. That word is Om. So I dedicate this award to my country.”

About the film, Pookutty said: “I share the stage with two magicians, who created the very ordinary sounds of Bombay, the cacophony of Bombay, into a soul-stirring, artful resonance.”

Asked about Om, he explained he had mentioned the word “because in our tradition, we believe that Om is a word that encompasses the whole experience of the universe. Indians can just listen, can just close your eyes and listen to the pains of living just by the sound of Om. That relates to me on a very personal level, being a sound person. That’s why I live for that.”

Pookutty believed he was a first because “no technician from India has been nominated”. “I am the first Indian technician to be nominated for an Oscar and winning one.”