The nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards were announced on Monday evening as per Indian Standard Time. David Fincher’s Gary Oldman-led ode to Old Hollywood, Mank leads the nominations with an impressive (and quite frankly, unexpected) 10 nods.

The Trial of the Chicago 7, Sound of Metal, Nomadland, Minari, Judas and the Black Messiah and The Father are joint second with six nominations each.

Despite fewer releases, what with a pandemic stalling almost entirety of film production, Oscar Nominations 2021 managed to disappoint and surprise in a few categories.

Here are a few snubs and surprises we found. Let’s begin with the snubs.

One Night in Miami (in Best Picture and Best Director)

Regina King’s brilliant debut directorial One Night in Miami did get 3 nominations, but it was snubbed in the Best Picture and Best Director categories. This was surprising, and not in a good way, since it had garnered some good awards season buzz.

Aaron Sorkin (Best Director)

Sorkin is one of Hollywood’s best screenwriters and we believe he is a solid director as well (as apparent from his debut Molly’s Game). Sadly, he was overlooked for his work on The Trial of the Chicago 7, which otherwise got 6 nods.

Da 5 Bloods (Best Picture)

Spike Lee’s topical and gripping drama Da 5 Bloods was overlooked in every major category. It got only a Best Original Score nomination.

Now, let’s look at a few surprises:

The White Tiger (Best Adapted Screenplay)

Ramin Bahrani’s adaptation of Aravind Adiga’s Booker-winning novel, starring Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra and Rajkummar Rao, got a nod in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. While not wholly unexpected, it did come as a mild surprise.

Jagshemash! What glorious news to wake up to! Borat has been nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. #OscarNoms pic.twitter.com/eqGJh7xQAF

— Amazon Studios (@AmazonStudios) March 15, 2021

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Best Adapted Screenplay)

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (let’s skip the full name) was a highly enjoyable sequel to a classic film, though its nomination in this category was curious, but certainly not unwelcome.

Maria Bakalova (Best Supporting Actress)

Let’s face it. Maria Bakalova was superb in Borat 2, and she deserves every accolade she is getting. Many believe she outdid even Sacha Baron Cohen in a movie headlined by a character he is playing. But this was still a surprise.

Thomas Vinterberg (Best Director)

While Vinterberg’s Another Round was getting universal praise and also got a lot of attention in the festival circuit, this nomination came as a huge surprise.