Film powerhouse India falls short at Oscars

MUMBAI: India may churn out around 2,000 movies per year, but it is yet to win a golden statuette in the coveted film categories at the Oscars.

The South Asian nation’s Oscar journey started in 1957, with “Mother India” narrowly losing the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film by a single vote to Federico Fellini’s “Nights of Cabiria”.

In the decades since, only two other Indian entries “Salaam Bombay!” and “Lagaan” have made it into the final nominations for the top film categories.

This year, despite securing a spot in the 15-film shortlist for the International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, Neeraj Ghaywan’s “Homebound” did not make the final five.

“There were other equally good films in competition,” acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur told AFP reflecting on the film’s ouster.

Commercial formula

But while the marquee awards have been somewhat out of reach, India has managed to take home some accolades at the annual star studded event hosted in California.

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In 1992, legendary Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray received an Honorary Academy Award.

Kapur secured seven Oscar nominations in 1999 for his film “Elizabeth” – in mostly technical categories.

Recent triumphs for India include “RRR” which won the Best Original Song and “The Elephant Whisperers” that took Best Documentary Short in 2023.

And music composer A.R. Rahman won two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“Jai Ho”) for “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008). Resul Pookutty won Best Sound Mixing for the same film.

Many in the industry say the problem goes beyong the films themselves.

Kapur said that Indian films falter at the Oscars because of “cultural rooting” and a slant towards a commercial formula which includes high-budget song and dance numbers that can sometimes eclipse storyline.

Actor director Anupam Kher, whose “Tanvi the Great” was among 201 films eligible for the best picture race this year, told AFP it may be the case that “we are not selecting the best film”.

“It is not that we are not making good cinema. These days regional films are doing some great work. We need to introspect,” he said.

Kher said some Indian production teams struggle to sustain the large costs associated with promoting their films.

Campaigning

Filmmaker Ketan Mehta, recognised globally for directing acclaimed biopics and historical dramas, said selection was only a part of the process.

“Marketing the film in the US and pitching it to the Oscar jury in Los Angeles is very important. Here is where Indian entries get thwarted and expelled from the race,” he said.

Despite rave reviews, a lack of strategic campaigning in the United States affected both Director Kiran Rao’s 2023 film “Laapataa Ladies” and Payal Kapadia’s 2024 film “All We Imagine As Light” from being recognised at the Oscars.

Former president of the Film Federation of India Firdausul Hasan said having a big budget – like film production house Dharma or producer Aamir Khan – also doesn’t always help.

“It is a glorious game of uncertainty. If we knew what is needed to get an Oscar or which film would become a hit, every Tom, Dick and Harry would make films,” he said.

“This is a creative field, not some math.”