indica News Bureau-
Actor-singer Utkarsh Ambudkar stole the show at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards with his incredible improve rap. On the red carpet, Ambudkar was seen in a Ermenegildo Zegna suit along with his wife Naomi Campbell.
Among the several highlights during at the star-studded ceremony, fans across the world were also treated to a song performance by Ambudkar, American rapper of Indian origin. Seen in starring roles in several notable Hollywood films including Pitch Perfect, Basmati Blues, Blind-spotting, he will be making appearances in the Disney biggie, Mulan, and the Ryan Reynolds’ sci-fi comedy venture titled, Free Guy. Ambudkar’s song during the Oscars 2020 were more of a recap of the evening and addressed the need for more emphasis on diversity, which went on to draw appreciation from Hollywood superstars like Brad Pitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
So, who was that guy with the microphone anyway? Ambudkar was the re-capper rapper, who had help from Questlove for the background music. According to Vanity Fair, Ambudkar’s publicist explained that he sat in the writers’ room for the first half of the show, figuring what to add to the rap, but a few lines were pre-planned. “He and Questlove figured out what the beat was going to be and certain things in that rhyme are evergreen and will work for the show no matter what.”
If you thought Ambudkar looked familiar, there’s a good reason for that. He has popped up in a few memorable on-screen projects in recent years, and he’s part of a famous freestyle group.
Ambudkar has appeared in an impressive list of projects over the past almost-decade. A cappella fans will likely recognize Ambudkar as one of the Treblemakers in the Anna Kendrick-fronted Pitch Perfect franchise. He also played Mindy Kaling’s brother, Rishi, in The Mindy Project, and in 2019, Ambudkar played Jern, aka Brittany’s fellow house-sitter turned love interest, in Brittany Runs a Marathon.
However, Ambudkar has been a part of the rapping industry for more than 16 years now. He completed his acting program at New York University’s Tisch School of Arts in 2004 but never became an actor as he was always too busy rapping. He spent most of his nights free-styling in New York clubs and deep down in his heart, he always wanted to become more of a rapper than an actor.
The 2020 Academy Awards had no host, but there were still standout moments to keep viewers entertained. For instance, Janelle Monáe kicked off the night with a musical number that included nods to A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood via her signature Mr. Rogers-style red sweater and to Midsommar, courtesy of a flower coat fit for a May Queen. Eminem brought everybody back to 2002, with an unexpected performance of “Lose Yourself” that left fans on Twitter and audience members equally confused. In case that wasn’t enough, an actor — who admitted some people may consider him “new” — rapped a recap of the Oscars about halfway through the show.
{Photo courtesy: Twitter)
