BAFTAS-the new Globes?

They had me with the first bad joke.

- Raja Sen

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has always hosted a typically British award night: chummy, understated, with that peculiarly British blend of pompous and self-effacing. Yet they have been an oddity, something the British do for their own amusement-hosted for years by the venerable Stephen Fry, giving out awards tastefully in a function that lasts less than two hours. It feels basically like a particularly star-studded show of the long-running trivia series QI, and while the awards are always credible, the world hasn't really been watching.

This year's ceremony held on 18 February and streaming in India on Lionsgate Play-was a glossier, more immediately memorable affair. These BAFTAS reminded me of the now irrelevant Golden Globe Awards: a place for the shiniest people in entertainment to let their hair down, wear cool outfits, tell some jokes. A few nudges, a few winks, and Bob's your uncle. The BAFTAS used to reward excellence in film and British television on the same night, but now, rebranded as The BAFTA Film Awards, they may be poised to be the new Globes: a pre-Oscar party the world watches (and makes Instagram reels from).