A.R. Rahman's victory last night at the 81st Annual Academy Awards was not just a major stepping stone for his career, but also for the country of India.  The reaction from actors and actresses from India has been overwhelmingly supportive for the 42 year old composer.  When you are the talk of the world, the praise is going to come and come in heaps.  Desi Hits! caught up with some of your favorite Bollywood stars to find out what their immediate thoughts were to his Oscar wins.

Actress Kareena Kapoor gives A.R. Rahman credit for expanding the viability of India through his work on the 8 time Academy Award winning Best Picture "Slumdog Millionaire."

"Well done Rahman!" Kapoor said.  "As someone who loves cinema I would like to thank Rahman personally for opening the doors internationally for us and showing the west his talent as an Indian. It is a proud moment for our country and we need to celebrate the moment."

The reactions range from happiness to flat out emotional. Shilpa Shetty said she was overcome with emotion when she saw A.R. Rahman and Resul Poolkutty take home Oscars.

"I burst out into tears when I saw Resul and Rahman win the Oscars," Shetty said. "I knew that Rahman would lift the Oscar but Resul came as a surprise. I feel really proud. Rahman is a genius and he deserves the award. Actually India deserves the award."

Even the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had something to say about A.R. Rahman's win last night.  M. Karunanidhi, who is convalescing at a private hospital said, "Isai Music in Tamil means Puhazh (fame). True to this, today, Rahman, born in Chennai, has blossomed and reached the pinnacle and earned a place in the heart of entire artists' community in the world. It is a great honour for our son.  By winning the Oscars he has brought laurels to Tamil language, six core people of Tamil Nadu and also to one billion people living across the country. I consider the awards are gems in his crown."

While "Slumdog Millionaire" was projected as a favorite to take home many Oscars including Best Picture, the fact that it won 8 out of the 12 awards it was nominated for is still something to be in awe of.  A.R. Rahman has sold 200 million records worldwide, but after all this time, last night was perhaps the night everyone finally got to know who he was, and to people like Preity Zinta, it was all worth it to finally see what was India's breakout party to the movie industry.

"He was knocking on that door and finally his efforts have paid off," Zinta said. "By winning this award, Rahman has lessened the gap between the east and the west. I'm really happy for all of them."

Sonam Kapoor said, "Before Dad (Anil Kapoor) could go for the Oscars, he was hopeful that the film would bag a few awards. But winning 8 of them was unbelievable.  He is a genius and Gulzar's lyrics are out of this world. I'm so happy for them."

For at least one night, A.R. Rahman was on top of the world, and he was greatly appreciative of the moment.  Apparently, so was everyone else.  So let us know what you think of the reactions these people had of his historic night.  You can chime in about your thoughts on what this means for A.R. Rahman and most of all, for India.