The choice to send the Kiran Rao-directed Laapataa Ladies as India’s official entry in the Best International Feature Film category for Oscars 2025 raised a lot of debates.
Considering that the Cannes Grand Prix winner All We Imagine as Light was not selected, becoming the first Indian film to do so, a lot of people had opinions on India’s official selection and whether this was the right choice or not.
Laapataa Ladies was produced by Aamir Khan, and stars Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastav, and Ravi Kishan in the lead roles.
All We Imagine as Light is written and directed by Payal Kapadia and stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, and Hridhu Haroon in an international co-production including companies from France, India, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy.
However, in the midst of this, the United Kingdom (UK) submission of Hindi film Santosh, as its official entry for the international film category has raised some questions. British-Indian director and documentarian Sandhya Suri directed the film and starred Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar, Kushal Dubey, and Sanjay Bishnoi.
How Could The UK Submit A Hindi Film?
The United Kingdom (UK) could submit Santosh as a British movie because while the movie is in Hindi and has an all-Indian cast, it is not an Indian movie. The film was produced by Mike Goodridge, James Bowsher, Balthazar de Ganay, and Alan McAlex.
Along with this the BFI and BBC Film-financed film had Good Chaos, Film and Haut et Court among its producers.
As per The Academy, which oversees the Oscar Awards, a film is eligible for the International Feature Film category if is a “feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the United States of America and its territories with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track. Animated and documentary feature films are permitted.”
Sandhya Suri, who directed the film is also a British-Indian film director and documentarian, born in England to Indian immigrant Yash Pal Suri.
The reason the UK could submit this movie is because it met all the criteria required for a film to be eligible for this particular category in the country.
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According to reports and The Academy, the rules for a film to be eligible for the Best International Feature Film category from a certain country are:
- The film must be released in the country of origin.
- The film must be shown for “seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theater for the profit of the producer and exhibitor.”
- “The recording of the original dialogue track as well as the completed picture must be predominantly (more than 50%) in a language or languages other than English. Accurate, legible English-language subtitles are required.”
- The film must be longer than 40 minutes, to be considered a feature film category.
Santosh, standing at 98 minutes, is a full feature film, was released in the UK, is more than 50% in a non-English language, and the “creative control of the film was largely in the hands of citizens or residents of the submitting country.”
The thriller drama set in a rural town in north India, sees a Hindu widow, Santosh (Shahana Goswami) take up her late husband’s job as a police constable due to a government scheme.
The case of the rape and murder of an underage girl from a lower-caste girl turns her life around, making her interact with a feminist inspector, a veteran, and deals with themes like institutional corruption, caste, feminism, and more.
This is also not the first time that the UK has submitted a non-English film for the Best International Feature category. Last year it submitted the German and Polish Holocaust drama The Zone Of Interest directed by Jonathan Glazer which even won the Academy Award this year.
Why Could India Not Submit This Movie?
The reason India could not submit this movie, despite having an Indian producer attached to the film, Suitable Pictures, is because the film did not get a theatrical release in the country.
This made it ineligible for India to submit the film as an official selection for the 2025 Oscars.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Indian Express, Hindustan Times,
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This post is tagged under: Oscars 2025, Oscars, Cannes Film Festival, Laapataa Ladies, Laapataa Ladies oscars, Laapataa Ladies oscars 2025, Shahana Goswami, Sandhya Suri, Sandhya Suri oscars, Sandhya Suri santosh, academy awards, academy awards 2025, India oscars, India oscars 2025
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