Once again, the Film Federation of India (FFI) finds itself in the crosshairs of national ire. The recent announcement of the 15 films shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2025 Oscars sparked outrage (yet again) among cinephiles, critics, and filmmakers in India when Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies failed to make the cut.
In the aftermath of last night’s announcement, sharp online smears have since rained down on the FFI, with the likes of Hansal Mehta and Ricky Kej leading the charge, accusing the body of consistently poor judgment in its Oscar selections. For most, the unsurprising omission feels emblematic of a systemic malaise in how India positions itself on the global cinematic stage.
A charming satire about two brides swapped in rural India during the 1990s, Laapataa Ladies earned praise for its refreshing wit, but as the Grammy-winning Kej bluntly pointed out, it was “absolutely the wrong choice” for an Oscar campaign.
Comparisons with Payal Kapadia’s Cannes-winning All We Imagine As Light (AWIAL) — the film many saw as India’s natural contender for the international feature race — have only sharpened the sting. Kapadia’s ode to Mumbai’s working class, has not only earned multiple accolades already but also secured nominations at important precursors like the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards. Its Cannes triumph, where it won the Grand Prize, further solidified its status as a critical darling early on in the race.
By contrast, Laapataa Ladies felt to many like a charming but lightweight entry in a category increasingly dominated by stories that cut to the bone. The comparison underscores a longstanding criticism of the Film Federation of India: its baffling preference for crowd-pleasing films over deeply cinematic, uncompromising works that might have stood a fighting chance at the Academy Awards.
This of course isn’t the first time India has bungled its Oscar bid. India’s fraught history with the Oscars reads like a tragicomic saga of missed opportunities and institutional hubris. Over the decades, the nation’s official submissions have sparked more controversies than celebrations, often mired in allegations of political bias, myopic selection committees, and an unshakable obsession with Bollywood glitz.
Despite the country’s vast cinematic output, only three films — Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay! (1988), and Lagaan (2001) — have ever managed to secure nominations in the International Feature Film category, with none clinching the coveted statuette. Meanwhile, works such as Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox or Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple, were famously overlooked in favor of more populist fare, prompting widespread backlash.
Recent years have seen India finding some success in non-narrative categories: RRR’s Naatu Naatu won Best Original Song last year, and The Elephant Whisperers snagged Best Documentary Short. But the narrative feature prize, often the most prestigious, remains infamously elusive.
Critics frequently cite a lack of strategic campaigning and an inward-looking approach to selections as the root of the problem. It’s a pattern that speaks less to the quality of Indian cinema and more to an inward-looking establishment seemingly out of touch with what the Academy actually values, or more accurately, what Oscar voters want from a foreign film — a formula more appropriately exemplified this year by Kapadia’s AWIAL.
The frustration is clearly amplified by the fact that other countries have made leaps forward.
Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, a dazzling French submission with a Mexican heart, has emerged as the category’s towering frontrunner, boasting not only critical acclaim but also recognition across multiple Oscar shortlists.
Close behind is Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here, an exploration of resilience from Brazil, bolstered by a rare combination of box office clout and critical fervor.
Latvia’s Flow, an animated odyssey that defies geographic and narrative conventions, has captured imaginations as the country’s historic debut on the shortlist.
Germany’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig, a searing Iranian tale told through Mohammad Rasoulof’s exilic lens, reflects the increasingly transnational identity of this category.
Ireland’s Kneecap, a brash and biting underdog with British accolades in its arsenal, also finds itself in a heated contest with Italy’s Vermiglio, a festival darling with arthouse pedigree.
Meanwhile, Thailand makes history with How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, its first film to advance since the country began submitting entries in 1984.
The history of the International Feature category also provides insight. It remains one of the most Eurocentric of the Oscars, with France, Italy, and Sweden dominating the awards tally. However, recent reforms in Academy membership have opened doors for a more diverse slate of nominees. The 2025 shortlist seems to reflect this gradual shift: Senegal’s Dahomey and Palestine’s From Ground Zero join contenders from Norway, Iceland, and Canada. Yet, as diverse as the list may appear, its frontrunners — Emilia Pérez, Flow, and The Seed of the Sacred Fig — still bear the endorsement of countries with strong film industries and well-oiled Oscar machines.
India, despite its vast cinematic output, continues to lag behind in navigating this terrain. Critics suggest that the FFI’s approach to the Oscars needs a radical overhaul. Yet, there’s a silver lining. Sandhya Suri’s Santosh, a UK submission featuring Indian actors Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, did make the shortlist.
Looking ahead, the 2025 International Feature race appears wide open, but Emilia Pérez remains the film to beat. If it clinches the Oscar, it will break France’s 30-year drought in the category.
Published – December 18, 2024 11:37 am IST