Joaquin Phoenix wins Best Actor Award

Actor Joaquin Phoenix who played the iconic role of Batman’s archenemy ‘Joker’ has won the Best Actor (in a Leading role) Award at the 92nd Academy Awards. Phoenix played the role of Arthur Fleck, a mentally ill clown who finds fame through a random act of violence in New York City. Phoenix was tremendously dedicated for playing this role and dropped more than 50 pounds (22 kg) to play the character of Arthur Fleck. Directed by Todd Phillips, ‘Joker’ is a story of the much celebrated super-villain whose character was earlier played by noted actors Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger. Joaquin Phoenix becomes the second person to get an Academy Award for playing the character of Joker. Earlier, Heath Ledger was awarded the best supporting actor in 2009 at Academy Awards for playing the character of Joker in 'The Dark Knight’. Phoenix was previously nominated twice for Best Actor at the Academy Awards for the Johnny Cash biopic ‘Walk the Line’ (2006) and ‘The Master’ (2013). He was also declared as the best actor at the Baftas, the Critics’ Choice and Screen Actors Guild awards, and best actor in a drama at the Golden Globes. Apart from these awards, the film ‘Joker’ was also a global blockbuster earning over $1 billion in spite of being an A rated movie. In his acceptance speech, Phoenix made a plea to human beings to stop fighting with each other and to stop plundering our natural resources. He ended the speech saying, “Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow”. Joker is scheduled to be re-released in India on February 14.