Here is a wonderful article on the definite five Hindi film contenders. And it looks like regional cinema will not even contend. Look at the last line of this paragraphh - RDB and Omkara have the greatest chance.








from mid-day.com



Oscar wild


By: Shradha Sukumaran

September 10, 2006




Rang De Basanti (January 2006)



Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra says that whichever film does make it for the Indian selection, be it his Rang De Basanti or otherwise, it should go on its own merit. “The jury should not be coerced. The responsibility is tremendous and it’s not me against you. It’s about representing the country,” he says.

The filmmaker, just back from Los Angeles where Rang De Basanti got a standing ovation at the Golden Globes, says that just as every award has its charm, so does the Oscar. Mehra says that he was just telling a story with Rang De Basanti, but it became “bigger than all of us”.

About its global appeal, Mehra says that he’s been travelling with the film and people relate it to their socio-economic situation. “It’s the story in US today with the disillusionment and anti-establishment feeling. Rang De has worked on a subconscious level, touched a chord and seeped into the psyche.” Audiences there have also been curious about India’s armed revolution and as for the ending, Mehra admits he’s also still searching for words about it.

“A movie isn’t about being politically correct, but telling a story. I went with how I felt,” says Mehra.

Mehra already asked his star and Oscar nominee Aamir Khan for his gut feeling. “He said we have a strong chance. If we’re selected, I’ve done all my homework. I’ll leave no stone unturned, play by the rules with the experience I’ve had with the Golden Globes.”




Krrish (June 2006)



Rakesh Roshan is going by past experience when it comes to Krrish’s chances at the Indian entry.

“I remember asking a jury member why Koi Mil… Gaya was not selected the last time. He told me that though they loved the film, they wanted to send a film with Indian culture in it. I have no expectations. If that is still their criteria, then there is not hope,” he says of his agile superhero’s shot at the Oscar. Roshan admits he was a bit disappointed when Koi Mil...Gaya didn’t make it, especially on account of his character Rohit (played by son Hrithik) who was mentally-challenged, “I believe it had a lot of scope.”

Roshan admits it’s an honour and pride if Krrish was selected as the Indian entry to the Oscars, but he’s emphatic that he doesn’t have any ambitions towards it.

“I make films for my Indian audience — it’s better to grow in my own country than to make rural films for the sake of the Oscars. It just doesn’t go with my thought and vision,” says Roshan

Roshan is back from his break in London and Kenya. As for Krrish, Roshan’s at work on a sequel — if he hits on good content. “There are the two forces of good and evil, but there has to be more to that. We’re brainstorming on the story now.”




Omkara (July 2006)



To Kumar Mangat, it’s the little details and the big picture that put Omkara in the Oscar league. The producer of the Hindi version of Shakespeare’s Othello says that the strong ring of Indian culture, the drama build-up, even the tiny details in the set make Omkara stand out and should make it an easy choice as India’s entry for the Oscars.

“Our characters aren’t the romantic lollypop type. Ajay (Devgan) changed his moustache, Saif (Ali Khan) was unrecognisable and Kareena (Kapoor) went without make-up. We wanted to make Omkara as realistic as possible and that makes it way ahead than other films. We aren’t going to lobby, but if Omkara is selected in its own merit, we’ll promote it.

“I have plans to hype it in the media in LA and take Vishal (Bhardwaj), Ajay, Saif, Viveik to make their presence felt. It will be like our project for India,” he elaborates.

Mangat is heartened by the way that foreign media has already reviewed Omkara and speaks of how some of them have even hugged him in delight for backing the project.

“One journalist in the London Times said this version of Othello would make even Shakespeare smile. They can recognise that this is real, not artificial cinema.”




Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (August 2006)



Karan Johar may be on holiday in New York now until his film shows on September 10 at the Toronto festival, but he’s been watching reactions to it closely even there.

“It’s created a huge impact here,” says Johar of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (KANK), “The Indian community stops me in the street so many times and talks to me about it.” So Johar thinks it interesting to observe how Toronto will react to the film on relationships. “KANK actually shows an alternate way,” he describes, “People called it anti-cultural or anti-moral, but I was just against marriage for the wrong reasons.

“There’s been a lot of hype about this big Bollywood film, so I’ll get an idea of Western audiences from how the North American press and audiences will react to it.”

Johar isn’t even sure the committee on the Oscars has been formed yet, but says that KANK scores because of its progressive urban feel and because its relationships could mirror those anywhere in the world.

“We usually send films that show the Indian way, just like Amelie showed Parisian life or No Man’s Land was reflective of the political mindset. I guess we’ll just have to wait and watch (to see if KANK will make it). Or we should just send a film that’s immensely cinematic,” says Johar




Lage Raho Munnabhai (September 2006)



It’s very clear to Rajkumar Hirani — India’s best film must be selected to go to the Oscars. “Since everybody thinks that this the best, it should go. Of course I would want it, but there’s no question of lobbying. You just fall into the trap then and spend the entire year lobbying behind films for one award after another,” he says a week after Lage Raho Munnabhai’s release. Hirani says that it pays that he’s already got the affection of the people through the film.

“ I think the wrong way to go about selecting a film for the Oscars is to think of what their committee will like. We should just go by whether it’s a good film. That should be the parameters.”

And as for those who think that Munnabhai’s humour and lessons are too Mumbaiyya, Hirani says, “Last time round, people had thought this film would not go beyond Thane, but look what happened. Now it’s doing exceedingly well in the US, UK, Australia where Sanjay Dutt films have never worked.”

“Friends tell me that people shriek when Bapu comes in as if he were Michael Jackson!” says Hirani

As for experience, Lage Raho’s producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Parinda went to the Oscars in 1989 and his Encounter With Faces was even nominated for Best Short Film in 1980.




Recording Rang De Basanti


Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra calls himself the “custodian of Rang De Basanti”, which is why even after he’s inserted a making of the movie in its DVD, he’s now working on a documentary on the rang de revolution.

“I thought that my job would be over when it released, but seven months after, it won’t end. It’s like giving birth to a child — you just can’t leave it on the streets,” he explains.

So Mehra sees it as his responsibility to document Rang De Basanti’s genesis and evolution. “The documentary will show what went on before we went on the floors, what we experienced, then post-production and the most interesting phase, post-release,” he says. That’s about seven years of work — so we’re looking at some meaty documentary on change.





Which film should go to the Oscars?

“I’ll root for Omkara because it’s extremely well made and adapted. It's not a film that showcases the West — it shows rural India and it’s very pertinent to the poltical sceneario. It has power games, manipulation of people and emotions, is wonderfully shot and has great performances. I can’t think of a film more complete. It showcases India at every level.” — Indu Mirani, trade analyst

“Lage Raho Munnabhai because it’s awesome. It generates young Indian feeling — it has vibrancy and old theory brought in and it’s nationalistic in its Gandhigiri. It’s pacakaged in a grand way and it says something throughout the film with laughter. It really showcases India in world cinema.”
— Pradeep Sarkar, director Parineeta

“I would choose Lage Raho Munnabhai for the simple reason because it turns Gandhi into a policy. If you remember Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi already got the Oscar and people in the West already know Gandhi. I think that this film is a real eye-opener for the West as well. The whole world is fighting against each other and going to war and it’s important to see Gandhi’s message.”
— Taran Adarsh, trade analyst

“My choice would be between Rang De Basanti or Lage Raho Munnabhai. I think these are the only two films that represent our social pain and society, our ethos and modern India in certain ways. I don’t know what the Oscar criteria is, but going by the foreign films I follow, the best are the ones with represent a true picture of society, with reality and novelty. Rang De Basanti and Lage Raho shows today’s societies in metropolitan cities. I think those films stand a better chance.”
— Vipul Shah,director Aankhen,Waqt


Oscar list so far

1957 – Mother India
1963 – Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam
1974 – Ankur
1978 – Manthan
1985 – Saaransh
1986 – Swathi Muthyam
1987 – Nayagan
1988 – Salaam Bombay!
1989 – Parinda
1990 – Anjali
1991 – Henna
1992 – Thevar Magan
1993 – Rudaali
1994 – Bandit Queen
1995 – Kurudhi Punal
1996 – Indian
1997 – Guru
1998 – Jeans
1999 – Earth
2000 – Hey Ram
2001 – Lagaan
2002 – Devdas
2003 – No film was deemed suitable by the committee to send to the Oscars
2004 – Shwaas
2005 – Paheli

Regional fare
There isn’t much competition from regional cinema this year and buzz is that Bollywood stands a bigger chance. One of the contenders though is Rituparno Ghosh’s Bengali film Dosar, starring Konkana Sen Sharma and Prosenjit, that tells the tale of a wife grappling with both her husband’s infidelity and his close brush with death.

As far as the Hindi top five go, an Oscar chance goes hand in hand with either Rang De Basanti or Omkara — one for its telling political view of youth in India, the other for an inventive, cinematic adaptation of a Shakespearean play


Golden statue rules

* Only films that have released theatrically between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2006 qualify for an Oscar nominations
* An Indian jury is expected to announce its choice in the final week of September
* Nomination polls for all the entries that go from each country close on January 13, 2007
* Nominations will be announced on January 23, 2007
* The Oscar awards will take place in Los Angeles on February 25, 2007

i wish its either omkara/rang de basanti ( i favour rdb more) that goes it at least has some chance to make it into the finals but how the hell could they consider krish like i would pick kank if it was either krissh or kank and munabhai like give me a break its a comeday and when it will be subtitled it wont sound as funny as it does to desis

From a non-Indian perspective, I have to vote KANK. Omkara was too boring and Rang De Basanti won't appeal to a Western audience (even though it's a fantastic film). Krrish is good popcorn fare and I haven't seen Munnabai yet so I can't judge on that one. KANK is a perfect blend and I think it's a classic. All my non-Indian friends who have seen it have enjoyed it as well. This is a perfect case of the differences in opinion about the film where the home audience seems to hate it but the Western aud (which is just discovering it now) really seems to like it. We'll see what happens. Add the acceptance by the Toronto film fest audience and it could very well be in the bag.

Rang De Basanti India's entry for Oscar



RDB all set to color the Oscar academy with saffron

I still think the best chance India has had in the recent past to win the Best Foreign Language Film award, was with Monsoon Wedding. In fact I am quite sure it would have won that year, if only India had entered it instead of Lagaan.

For thematic!! Munna is the best contendor!!

Indian films are almost always never oscar worthy any ways, whether it is Devdas, Andaaz or Paheli or whatever crap they choose!imho

I agree and WATER in all probability will win it this year....in fact I am willing to put my money on it. Unfortunately its not a movie I think highly of (or its maker bar the delightful HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD she made earlier).

What an embarrassment that KANK could even be considered as an official entry from India.

One film, that I would have liked to be included in the list just for recognition sake, if not political and commercial..

Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Maara

Thank God, finally someone who thinks the same! MONSOON WEDDING for me is a modern classic. The film keeps moving me everytime I watch it (and I've watched it at least 50 times by now). It works on so many different levels. I hate it when people categorise the film as a comedy or a drama, it's so much more than that.

As for this year's entries, I like the fact that WATER has been submitted by Canada, but don't think it'll be nominated. It's a good film, but not Oscar nomination worthy. I feel something is missing in it, to give it that extra push.

As for RANG DE BASANTI, I highly doubt the film will get nominated. I don't think they will appreciate the first half, in which almost nothing happens. The story really starts off with the death of Madhavan. And by then, you're an hour and a half into the movie. Also, one thing I see as a flaw in the film, is the fact that Soha encourages the boys to kill the politician, and when they do, Soha's role is limited to crying on the side with Waheeda Rehman. It think it would be good if they let her take action too. Or are women not capable to take action themselves?

I've not seen a lot of films which could fall into the category, like ANTARMAHAL, APAHARAN, DEVAKI, MAIN MERI PATNI AUR WOH, PARZANIA, AHISTA AHISTA, BAS EK PAL, PYAAR KE SIDE/EFFECTS, KHOSLA KE GHOSLA and DOR, but from the one's I have seen, there none I would say is worthy of an Oscar (nomination).

This year's entries aside, I'm still not over the fact that the losers sent PAHELI instead of SWADES or RAINCOAT last year!

I completely agree that it was by far a superior choice, specially compared to the crap like KANK, which as someone rightly said is an embarassment to even have in the list of contenders.

PS: Where does Rakesh Roshan come of thinking that Krishh was even worthy of being a contender forget, specially considering that the film copies from the hollywood film 'Paycheck'. Can you ever imagine a film by 'John Woo', let alone an even poorer copy of it, being entered/considered for an Academy Award? It would have been the biggest joke at the academy this year, if god forbid India had selected it as their entry. Considering the crap that India has entered in the past it was actually possible that the fools might have chosen KANK or even worse, Krishh.