Girish Rao in Mumbai/Rediff

Mumbai, Feb 26: Indian films and the Oscars are poles apart, but the 80th Oscar ceremony saw a behind-scenes-connection between the two.

Mumbai-based company The Rhythm & Hues Studio did 25 per cent of visual effects work for The Golden Compass -- the movie won the Oscar for best visual effects.

The Golden Compass stars Hollywood heavyweights Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.

Speaking on the occasion, Prashant Buyyala, managing director of Rhythm and Hues Studio said, "We are ecstatic and it is a very joyous moment for us. The Golden Compass was a very large project for us and the whole credit goes to our team effort".

The company has planned parties to celebrate the success in its studio based in Mumbai and Hyderabad.

They are also working on other mega Hollywood projects like The Mummy 3, The Incredible Hulk and The Fast and The Furious 4 among many other projects.

The only other Indian connection at the Oscars in 2008 was director Shekhar Kapoor's film Elizabeth: The Golden Age, which walked away with the best costume design award. The costumes were designed by Alexandra Byrne, who has established herself as one of the greatest working costume designers in Hollywood.