India and the Oscars
The annual awards season is at its peak buzz around the time of the Academy Awards. The Oscar is a much-desired award for anyone associated with films. Indian cinema has been participating in this Olympics of cinema since 1957 without much luck at winning in the Best International Film category. For my March 2024 column in Brattleboro Reformer, I wrote about what it’s like for India to be sending entries every year and what kind of efforts filmmakers put in to realize their Oscar dreams. Read the full piece below:
Academy Awards, the annual spectacle of cinema took place on March 10th this year. The Oscars are the mecca, the ultimate statuette of recognition for cinema of the entire world. It is common parlance among Indian audiences to express love for their favorite film or actor’s performance by saying, “Give this one an Oscar already!” Every year India submits a feature-length entry to the one category that’s open for cinemas of the world to compete in: ‘Best International Feature Film’, formerly called, ‘Best Foreign Language Film’. India has one of the highest grossing film industries in the world. Yet, the fact that it has never won an Oscar in the international film category is an oft-discussed topic in online forums and journalistic articles and essays. What is it like for a foreign country to participate in the Oscar race?
The selection process
The Film Federation of India (FFI) appoints a committee every year to choose one Indian film (which includes movies in Hindi as well as other regional languages) as the country’s official Oscar entry. India produces an average of 600-800 films in a year so naturally that makes it a tough process to choose one movie out of hundreds. Since the panel comprises members from different parts of India, regional biases are at play and often films with more clout get chosen over more substance unless there’s an obvious nation-wide choice. The voting for nominations at the Academy takes place in two stages. At the first stage, Academy members shortlist 15 films out of all the entries received followed by a secret ballot to choose 5 final nominees.
Historically, only three Indian films have made it into the final nominations list: Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Lagaan (2001). Mother India, a blockbuster epic about a poverty-stricken, single mother who brings up her two boys in the face of adversity lost by just one vote to an Italian film, Nights of Cabiria. Director of the film, Mehboob Khan had attended the Oscar ceremony in LA with his wife. Despite losing the coveted prize, he returned home with cherished memories of meeting his idol, American filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille who not only praised Khan’s film but admitted to knowing the real India through the movie. Salaam Bombay! a paean to the underbelly of the metropolis featuring prostitutes, street children and drug dealers was director Mira Nair’s debut film. Lagaan, perhaps the most popular and easily recognized Indian film is the story of a group of villagers that beat their British oppressors to a game of cricket in a David vs Goliath battle. Following the successful nomination of these films, several critics have argued that the Academy veers towards themes of poverty and distress when it comes to Indian films. Ironically, post the selection process, promoting a foreign film in the US is a different ballgame altogether that requires deep pockets and intense lobbying.
Lobbying for recognition
Once a foreign film is sent to the Oscars, the producing entity is required to promote and screen the film at multiple venues in the US for voters to come and watch the film. This often involves throwing lavish parties with alcohol and good food; for some films, the promotion budget exceeds that of making the entire film. Filmmaker Geetu Mohandas whose film Liar’s Dice (2014) was the entry for the 87th Academy Awards said jokingly in an interview for Deccan Herald, “As soon as I got to know of my film’s submission, I had to get the rich uncles involved.” She elaborated that they didn’t throw any grand parties and had only enough budget for hosting a few screenings with chai and samosas, sans alcohol. In 2023, “Naatu Naatu” a popular song from the Telugu super hit film, RRR, short for Rise, Roar and Revolt, was nominated and won in the Best Original Song category. To promote the film, the makers spent Rs. 8.5 crore (approximately 2 million USD) as per a news report in The Indian Express.
Guarantee for visibility?
Every Indian film that gets sent to the Oscars definitely gets more recognition within the country in addition to a wide international audience. Last year, I hosted a screening of Chhello Show (2021), also titled Last Film Show at Epsilon Spires in Brattleboro, VT to a wonderful audience turnout. The film was India’s official entry to the 95th Academy Awards and made it into the first round of 15 shortlisted films. Ahead of the screening, I interviewed the film’s director, Pan Nalin (full interview up on my podcast @vidhisjukebox) and he admitted that even though the film is set in the state of Gujarat, the local state government only noticed and honored the film after its international festival recognition and visibility at the Oscars. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan once said in a candid interview, “Oscars ko mud ke bhi na dekhun main,” I wouldn’t give a second look to the Oscars and added that Oscars are “their” awards implying that they were created by Hollywood for Hollywood. Whether or not an Indian feature film wins an Academy Award in the future, the Oscars sure are hot topic during the award season.