Why do Indian films lag behind at the Oscars? -

Why do Indian movies lag behind at the Oscars

India has one of the largest and oldest film industries in the world. India produces the highest number of films every year but most of them go unnoticed abroad. Only three Indian films have ever been nominated for an Academy Award, commonly known as the Oscars.

What could be the reason behind this shocking parity? It certainly isn’t about quality, as India produces many acclaimed films every year. The last Indian film to be shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film (formerly Best Foreign Language Film) category of the Oscars was 2001’s Lagaan.

Two decades have passed but no film has been able to repeat that achievement. Let’s take a deep dive into how the Oscars work and why Indian films are rarely recognized.

What are the Oscars and how do they work?

The Oscars, also known as the Academy Awards, are the most prestigious awards in the entertainment industry. They are awarded annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to the best films and documentaries from around the world. The Academy has many members who vote on shortlisted films in every category. This process takes place over several months before winners are announced each spring.

Why do Indian films lag behind at the Oscars?

Each eligible country is allowed to submit one film per year. Academy members view them and shortlist 10 for consideration. Only five made it to the official nomination list, which was again vetted by active and life members of the Academy.

Obviously, getting an international film nominated for an Oscar is a difficult process, and India’s diverse film industry only complicates matters. Below are the reasons why Indian films are not nominated for Oscars.

Politics among the film industry

The Film Federation of India (FFI) selects the official Oscar winner from India every year. It includes thousands of Indian film producers, distributors and exhibitors.

Time and again, nepotism and bias have come into play during the Oscar shortlisting process in India. It is rare for FFI to submit a film to the Oscars that is not from the Hindi belt. And it’s rare that an FFI’s choice doesn’t cause some controversy. In the past, FFI has sent films like Paheli, Barfi!, and Newton over much better alternatives.

Regional films currently do not get much recognition outside their respective states and FFI does not consider them either. However, this attitude has recently changed as the FFI has selected Malayalam, Tamil and Marathi films as India’s official Oscar entries.

Lack of marketing

The films that the Film Federation of India nominates for Oscars are unknown to most people in India and abroad. It doesn’t matter if they are from Bollywood or any other film industry. Lack of marketing is said to be the biggest reason behind India’s poor performance at the Oscars.

As we know, the Academy is made up of voters. Some of these people are active in their respective fields and have to watch movies at the same time. And no one has time to watch all the movies that every country sends for consideration.

It all stems from the film’s popularity. Films like Parasite, Roma and The Salesman screened at many famous film festivals throughout the year and also received support from major distributors like Netflix. Many Academy jury members had seen such films before and did not bother to watch films like Gully Boy.

The Indian government also did not do much to promote the film. While other filmmakers get support from their countries to organize special screenings for Academy voters, Indian filmmakers are left to fend for themselves.

Quality Indian movies

While countries like South Korea and Spain submitted films like Parasite and Pain and Glory in 2019, India’s official Oscar winner was Gully Boy. Although the film was made successfully, it had several factors holding it back.

Gully Boy did not even receive good reviews in India. Plus, the film was heavily inspired by Eminem’s 8 Mile and the Academy tends to look down on remakes, sequels, and knockoffs. Fans think Article 15, Andhadhun and Super Deluxe would be better options.

Silly mistakes of the Film Federation of India (FFI)

FFI did not nominate RRR or The Kashmir Files in 2022. RRR was one of the highest-grossing Indian films of the year and was more critically acclaimed outside India. Many Hollywood celebrities such as Edgar Wright, Seth Rogen, Danny Devito, the Russo brothers and James Gunn have also praised the film.

On the other hand, The Kashmir Files is one of the most controversial Bollywood films in recent years. Historians and critics have criticized The Kashmir Files for its “propaganda” nature, but audiences overwhelmingly loved the film. Both films attracted significant attention and had a much higher chance of being nominated.

Instead, FFI chose the unknown Chello Show over films with good publicity and foreign appeal like RRR and The Kashmir Files. It will be surprising if Chello Show makes it to the final round. Plus, it was heavily inspired by the 1985 Oscar-winning film Cinema Paradiso.

Another example of FFI’s blunder is choosing Barfi! on the Wasseypur Gang. Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. The film created considerable controversy behind it because of its violence and profanity, so the FFI decided to send Barfi! instead of.

Similarly, The Lunchbox was dropped from The Good Road in 2013. The Lunchbox also premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was produced by Anurag Kashyap.

Streaming and theatrical competition

The Academy only allows nominations of films that are playing in theaters at a specific time. This will automatically eliminate movies launching on OTT platforms like Prime Video and Netflix. And these days, streaming services release much better movies than theaters. However, this is a recent development as the OTT scene in India was virtually non-existent before 2018.

RRR: An Oscar anomaly

In 2022, SS Rajamouli launched the much-anticipated sequel to the Baahubali franchise with RRR, an equally bombastic and epic period drama set against the backdrop of the British Raj. RRR became one of the highest-grossing films in India and won hearts worldwide, more internationally than in India. The film premiered at various film festivals and won top honors but the Government of India chose not to select it as the official entry for Best International Film at the 95th Academy Awards. .

Rajamouli and the producers of RRR campaigned independently for the film and it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Naatu Naatu”. One can only wonder what the fate of the film would have been if it had had the backing of the Indian government.

Conclusion:

The overall quality of Indian films, lack of marketing and politics in various film industries are some of the reasons why Indian films are rarely nominated at the Oscars. More solidarity among the film industry and more path-breaking films are the need of the hour if India wants Oscar glory.