87th Academy Awards: Top winners

Best Picture: Birdman

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman, a black comedy drama about an ageing film star who is trying to reclaim his career, family and life, managed to fetch an Oscar in the Best Picture category. Upon receiving the award, a joyful Iñárritu said, "I don't know how that happened, but it happened." Birdman, which also bagged Oscars in three other categories, faced a tough competition from The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

With SAG, BAFTA and a Golden Globe victory to his credit, Eddie Redmayne’s win at the Oscars was an expected one. The actor received the honour for his first-rate portrayal of the legendary English theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. An over-shocked Eddie in his award acceptance speech said, "I don't think I'm capable of articulating quite how I feel right now. I'm fully aware that I'm a lucky, lucky man."

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Julianne Moore, Still Alice

Movie maniacs were awestruck by Julianne Moore's impactful performance in Still Alice, the touching story of Alice, a Columbia linguistics professor diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. After winning a BAFTA and Golden Globe for the role, Julianne was a clear favourite. The 54-year-old actress thanked her husband in her award acceptance speech.

Directing: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman

It came as a big surprise when Alejandro González Iñárritu won the Best Director for Birdman beating Boyhood director, Richard Linklater, who was being considered the strongest contender with a BAFTA and Golden Globe already in his kitty. Iñárritu's Birdman was about a washed up actor who once played superhero in movies. While he tries to fight his ego, reigniting his career is a challenge for him.

Actor in a Supporting Role: JK Simmons, Whiplash

Playing Terence Fletcher, the brutal instructor at Shaffer Conservatory in New York, JK Simmons impressed everyone with his compelling performance in Whiplash. The actor was so deeply involved in the project that he even suffered two cracked ribs during the shooting of the film. His hard work finally paid off as he bagged an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Actress in a Supporting Role: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

Patricia Arquette won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Richard Linktaker's Boyhood. Having picked up trophies at BAFTAs and Golden Globes, Arquette’s victory at Oscars was no surprise. Making a commitment of shooting for more than a decade and doing that with firm dedication is no cakewalk but Patricia bravely took up the challenge and emerged winner at the Oscars.

Foreign Language Film: Ida

Helmed by Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski, Ida has picked the Oscar in Best Foreign Language Film category becoming the first ever film from Poland to win an Oscar. Ida's storyline deals with a novice nun in 1960s Poland, who discovers that she is a Jew just before she is supposed to take holy orders. The film also bagged a BAFTA for the Best Foreign Film.

Visual Effects: Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher, Interstellar

Beating out Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Guardians of the Galaxy, Christopher Nolan's sci-fi film Interstellar took home an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. This is the second Oscar for VFX supervisor Paul Franklin who earlier won it for Nolan's sci-fi heist thriller, Inception. While we agree that Paul Franklin's victory is a result of his sheer talent and hard work, we also believe that teaming up with a director like Nolan opens up numerous avenues.