Laapataa Ladies out of Oscars race, Shahana Goswami’s Santosh shortlisted for Best International Feature – Beyond Bollywood

Could the plagiarism row have harmed Laapataa Ladies’ chances? Indo-American film Anuja in consideration for Live Action Short.

By Mayur Lookhar

Another Aamir Khan film became India’s official entry to the Oscars. Unfortunately, it is another Aamir Khan film that failed to secure a nomination for Best International Feature at the Oscars.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 15 shortlisted films for the Best International Feature category, but the Kiran Rao-directed Laapataa Ladies did not make the cut.

While several films from Aamir Khan Productions have represented India as official Oscar entries, only Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan (2001) reached the final nominations.

Laapataa Ladies was a commercial dud but received widespread critical acclaim. The film also became embroiled in a plagiarism row after filmmaker-actor Anant Mahadevan alleged it was inspired by a story he had written years ago. Could this controversy have affected its chances? Only the Academy jury can answer that. Speaking to international media earlier, Khan stated that as a country, India shouldn’t be desperate for Oscars.

Though disappointing for Aamir Khan, Indian cinephiles now pin their hopes on Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light making it to the Best Picture – Drama nominations. The international co-production has already received a Golden Globes nomination.

Interestingly, though not an Indian production, a Hindi film titled Santosh, starring Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, has made it to the shortlist for Best International Feature. Directed by London-based filmmaker Sandhya Suri, Santosh is the UK’s official submission to the Oscars. While Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire (2008), a British film primarily in English, won Oscars, Santosh, entirely in Hindi and set in India, carries hopes for the desi audience.

In the Live Action Short category, the Indian-American film Anuja has been shortlisted. Directed by Adam Graves and shot in English and Hindi, the short film features Indian actors Sajda Pathan, Ananya Shanbhag, and Nagesh Bhosle.

The 97th Academy Awards will take place on 3 March.