The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: India’s official Oscar entry, Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies, has been eliminated from the Academy Awards’ International Feature Film category, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday (December 17). The Film Federation of India (FFI) had selected the comedy-drama as the country’s representative.
Although Laapataa Ladies did not make the cut, its team expressed gratitude for the support and recognition.
“Laapataa Ladies did not make it to the Academy Awards shortlist this year, and we are of course disappointed, but equally we are immensely grateful for the incredible support and belief we’ve received throughout this journey. We at Aamir Khan Productions, Jio Studios and Kindling Productions extend our gratitude to the Academy members and the FFI jury for considering our film,” they said.
Also read: Submission, Dominance, Indianness and Laapataa Ladies
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced its shortlist of 15 films in the International Feature Film category, which includes Santosh by British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri as the UK’s official entry. Santosh features actors Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar.
Shahana Goswami (R) and Sunita Rajwar in a scene from ‘Santosh’. Photo: Screengrab of a video from Youtube/BFI
Santosh tells the story of a newly widowed housewife, played by Goswami, who unexpectedly inherits her late husband’s police job and finds herself entangled in a murder investigation involving a young Dalit girl. Goswami underlined that India should be proud of Santosh.
“I don’t believe in the segregation of this is mine and that is yours. There is a huge Indian team involved. India has every reason to be proud of it as well. I don’t think it is a country specific thing. It’s more thematic. It’s about storytelling and diversity. It doesn’t matter where the film comes from, the story is still rooted in India,” Goswami was quoted as saying.
A screen grab of the press statement issued by 97th Oscars showcasing the films shortlisted in the International Feature Film category. Photo: oscars.org
Meanwhile, another India-set project, Anuja by Adam J. Graves, has been shortlisted in the Live Action Short category. Produced by Mindy Kaling and others, Anuja tackles the issue of child labour.
“Being shortlisted for the Oscars is a moment of immense pride. Anuja is a deeply personal story of two sisters navigating through life, celebrating the unwavering hope and resilience of the human spirit. It’s been an honour to contribute to the campaign as an executive producer and to be part of its incredible journey with the brilliant filmmakers Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai and powerful performances by Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag. This is a humbling recognition of the team’s dedication and to the strength of this moving story,” said Guneet Monga Kapoor, who serves as an executive producer, in her statement.
The Academy Awards will announce the final nominees in January.