The Oscars and Indian cinema
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The Oscars and Indian cinema
Bollywood and Oscars over 100 years of Cinema
Tejashree Bhopatkar, The Times of India, Apr 25, 2013
On completion of 100 years of Indian Cinema, it's definitely an unfortunate moment that despite of honest attempts Indian movies could not win any Oscar Awards.
Since 1957, India has sent 45 films as its official entry for the Oscars. Out of these, only 3 films - Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay (1988) and Lagaan (2001) were nominated for the Oscars in the "Best Foreign Language Film".
Not many know that An Encounter with Faces was filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra's first directorial attempt and interestingly won a nomination at the Oscars. It was a short documentary film by Chopra and nominated in the 'Best Documentary on Short Subjects' category where in Ashwin Kumar, son of fashion designer Ritu Kumar, made his entry to the Oscar nomination list with his short film ' Little Terrorist'. This 15-minute short was about a boy who crosses the line of control between India and Pakistan.
Indian Oscar winners
On the other hand, if not Bollywood movies as a whole, we have Indians as Oscar winners. India received its first Oscars in 1982, when honorary BhanuAthaiya won the award as the Best Costume Designer for Richard Attenborough's film Gandhi in 1982.
Exactly after a decade Satyajit Ray received honorary Academy Awards at Oscars.
2008 was the best year for Indian Cinema as Bollywood cash in 3 Oscar awards. Russell Pookutty won Best Sound Mixing (with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke) for Slumdog Millionaire, followed by A.R Rahman won Best Score and Best Original Song (music) again for Slumdog Millionaire, Gulzar won Best Song (lyrics) for Slumdog Millionaire.
Films with Indian connections
Gandhi (1982), an epic biographical film which dramatises the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. It took an Englishman, Richard Attenborough to make the best biographical film on India's most prominent freedom fighters Mahatma Gandhi. Ben Kingsley portrayed Gandhi to perfection. Gandhi went on to win 8 Oscar Awards.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008), an India- based movie with a Hollywood producer, Danny Boyle. Slumdog Millionaire shot entirely in India and with an almost Indian cast won as many as 8 Oscars in different categories.
Life Of Pi (2012), again a film produced by foreign producers yet have Indian actors like Irfan Khan, Tabu, Suraj Sharma and is also filmed in India.
Water, starring John Abraham, Lisa Ray, Seema Biswas which was again produced by David Hamilton. Deepa Mehta's Water was another film with an absolute Indian setting, Indian cast and Indian language but won an Oscar nomination for the Best Foreign Language Film from Canada, since the producer was from that country.
The Oscars and Pakistani cinema
50 years later, Pakistan to submit Oscar entry
TNN | Aug 3, 2013
Pakistan’s official entries under the foreign language film category
1959 (Akhtar Kardar's Jago Hua Savera)
1963 (Khwaja Khurshid Anwar's Ghunghat).
2013: The committee constituted to select Pakistan's official entry
From Pakistan, renowned film makers and writers will join hands to form a part of the core selection committee.
Heading the committee are prominent people including writer Mohsin Hamid (The Reluctant Fundamentalist), director Mehreen Jabbar (Ramchand Pakistani), actor Rahat Kazmi, filmmaker Akifa Mian, Samina Peerzada and arts academic Framji Minwalla.
Further reports by the media quote debutant British-Pakistani director Hammad Khan, whose film Slackistan was banned in Pakistan. He said that Pakistan has been so pre occupied with wars, coups and religion that cinema really has no place in the country nor has it taken the art form seriously.
