US, April 15 -- Monday, April 11, 1983, was the biggest night in Hollywood. All eyes were focused on the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles for the 55th Academy Awards. Half a billion people watched on television as the nominees for the best actor were announced - Peter O'Toole, Paul Newman, Jack Lemmon, Dustin Hoffman, and Ben Kingsley. John Travolta opened the envelope. The winner was Ben Kingsley, for 'Gandhi'.

The Academy, a body of 3,953 professionals, had voted for Kingsley for his remarkable recreation of the young Indian lawyer as he moved through history to be a symbol of peace and non-violence. The orchestra played an Indian hymn, 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram,' one of the hymns closely associated with the Mahatma. The audie...