It took the makers of Bohemian Rhapsody almost a decade to finally release the film in 2018. But looks like the decade seems to have paid off pretty well for them as it has raked in quite a lot of box office success and applause from fans. Bohemian Rhapsody has been nominated by the Academy Awards 2019 for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Best Achievement in Film Editing, Best Achievement in Sound Editing and Best Achievement in Sound Mixing.

The biopic based on the journey of the popular British rock band, Queen, was a much-awaited film which delivered a fair karaoke-based depiction. The film won a Golden Globe last year for Best Picture. Obviously, the frontman of Queen, Freddie Mercury, played by actor Rami Malek, received more trophies and recognition for his work in Bohemian Rhapsody. However, it cannot be denied that the film did earn a lot of nominations at almost every award function.

First announced in 2010, the makers of the film had roped in Sacha Baron Cohen to play Freddie Mercury. But the Borat actor walked out of the project in 2013 citing creative difference as the reason. After a languid break for three years, the makers then roped in Rami Malek to play the legendary vocalist of the band and kickstarted the project in 2016. Needless to say, he managed to work wonders and bring acclaim to the film.

There were apprehensions regarding the Mr. Robot actor as he did not have any resemblance with the late celebrity. This was in comparison to Sacha Baron Cohen, who had the looks and even the personality. However, Malek has proved himself and only an Oscar trophy is left to decorate his cabinet of awards this season! With one obstacle solved, the makers witnessed another problem in director Bryan Singer. In 2017, Singer was fired for absence and clashing with the cast and crew. Eventually, his place was taken up by Dexter Fletcher, who completed the film. Sadly though, the credit still showcases Bryan Singer. The filming concluded in January 2018 and Bohemian Rhapsody released later in November.

The reviews received by the film were very polarized ranging from lukewarm to outright bad. Critics bashed the film for the portrayal of all the members of the band, the lack of empathy in the scenes, Mercury's sexuality, historical inaccuracies, to name a few. However, Malek's performance stood tall in the film. Even the music sequences, especially the Live Aid sequence was done perfectly. Irrespective of the critical stance by film reviewers, Bohemian Rhapsody went ahead to become a box office success by grossing a whopping $853 million worldwide on a production budget of about $50 million.

Bohemian Rhapsody has received nominations for Best Picture at a lot of award functions this season. So far the film only managed to receive one accolade of Best Picture at the Golden Globe Awards 2019. What are the chances of it winning Best Picture at the Oscars? Well, the chances are pretty slim considering how the film is competing with better films. However, the competition for Rami Malek as Best Actor is strong and chances of him winning are also high.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 20, 2019 09:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).