Rahman wins Critics` Choice award for Best Original Song

Music maestro A R Rahman bagged the Best Original Song trophy at the 16th Critics' Choice Awards for his number 'If I Rise' in Danny Boyle's film 127 Hours. Written by Rollo Armstrong and American artiste Dido, the song was performed by Rahman and Dido, which is also expected to get Rahman his second Golden Globe this year.

Boyle, who went on to score eight Oscars with his last film Slumdog Millionaire, collaborated with Rahman again for 127 Hours, a biopic on the life of mountain climber Aron Ralston.

Rahman, however, lost the best score trophy to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for their film The Social Network. The movie on the life of Facebook founder also bagged top honours including best film, best director and best adapted screenplay.

The awards, presented by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, are considered a strong indicator for the Oscar awards. Most of the Critics' Choice Awards winners do well at the Oscars.

British actor Colin Firth was named the best actor for his role as a stuttering king in The King's Speech while Natalie Portman's turn as a disturbed ballerina in Black Swan won her the best actress trophy.

Christian Bale was named the best supporting actor for his role in real-life drama The Fighter, which also saw Melissa Leo winning the best supporting actress nod.

Leonardo DiCaprio starrer Inception led all films with six awards total but most of them were for technical achievement.

A R Rahman bags BAFTA for Slumdog Millionaire

British filmmaker Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire", Mumbai-based rags-to-riches movie, has won top honours at Britain's most prestigious film awards with a sweeping seven wins, including best film. It beat four other contenders Sunday - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "Frost/Nixon", "Milk" and "The Reader" - to win best film at the awards ceremony in London's Royal Opera House."Slumdog Millionaire" also won the best director award for Danny Boyle, racing ahead of Clint Eastwood for "Changeling", David Fincher for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", Ron Howard for "Frost/Nixon" and Stephen Daldry for "The Reader".The film also won awards for adapted screenplay, music (Indian composer A.R. Rahman), editing, cinematography and sound, as it continued its improbable march to the Academy Awards later this month. "David Lean said you should announce your ambition for the film in the first five minutes," Boyle said. "In that spirit, I'd like to announce my ambition for this speech - my father's power went out last night. A big shout-out to everyone who helped him run the extension cable in so he could watch this." "Slumdog Millionaire" is considered the front runner for the Oscars with 10 nominations and has already dominated the Golden Globes, while also picking up prizes from the Producers Guild of America, Directors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America.The best actress award went to Kate Winslet for her role in "The Reader". Winslet, who was also nominated in the same category for "Revolutionary Road", said: "To get this award at home means a lot to me." It's her second BAFTA, the first in 1995 for her supporting role in "Sense and Sensibility".Mickey Rourke won the best actor prize for his portrayal of a comeback fighter in "The Wrestler" and thanked director Darren Aronofsky for giving him a second chance. "Such a pleasure to be here and be out of the darkness," he said.Penelope Cruz took home the best supporting actress prize for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", while the supporting actor award went posthumously to Heath Ledger for "The Dark Knight".The "Curious Case of Benjamin Button", the Brad Pitt-starrer about a man who ages backwards, was nominated for 11, but won just three awards - for production design, special effects and hair and make-up. "I've Loved You So Long" (France) won the top prize for best foreign film.The ceremony of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, held weeks before the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, is one of the highlights of the year's awards season.