Robin Bhuyan (Editor in Chief)
This year, as most of us already know, the film Lapataa Ladies has been selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars, a decision that has ignited a significant debate among film critics, industry insiders, and audiences alike. We can’t say that the doesn’t provide entertainment value, but we have to applaud the film for drawing light on some serious social problems. However, the film ultimately falls short of the artistic depth and cultural representation expected from a film representing Indian cinema on an international stage. Considering the fact that India makes nearly 2000 films in a year, is Lapataa Ladies really the best film that we had this year? Here, we shall take a look at why India has never won an Oscar in the foreign film category, and most likely won’t, in the upcoming years.
… Entertainment Versus Artistic Merit
Entertainment vs Artistic Merit
Lapataa Ladies, which is Kiran Rao’s second film as a director, is undoubtedly an entertaining film, filled with comedic moments and engaging performances that give us a light-hearted viewing experience. However, entertainment alone does not qualify a film for Oscar consideration, does it?. The Academy Awards are known for celebrating films that possess artistic merit, complex themes, a unique voice, and something that makes us possibly think. Lapataa Ladies however is a very simplistic story, and its narrative doesn’t offer any depth or complexity to consider it a true “art” film, and neither does the film falls into the “masala” category.
Comparing the Competition – Chota Bheem- Is this a joke?
This year, the shortlist for India’s Oscar submission included several notable films such as Animal and Kalki 2898 AD. While Animal received praise for its engaging storyline and performances, it, too, faced criticism for being too unnecessarily violent and toxic, as we all know. Hell, it even started a very big debate online which lasted for months. But regardless of you loved Animal or not, the fact remains that the film is a simple revenge drama, and it is a surprise that they even considered shortlisting this film.
Another one of the films that was shortlisted Kalki 2898 AD, which was highly anticipated because we see very few science fiction films in India. Plus, the film also incorporated elements from our ancient epic Mahabharata, which is why the hype was even more. Although Amitabh Bachchan gave one of the best performances in his role of Ashwatthama, the film turned out to have quite a poor storyline and screenplay. It also received criticism, and many called it a rip-off of several iconic films like Mad Max, Dune, and The Matrix. Despite having a star cast, the film could not establish an identity as an “Indian” film, having its own identity, and therefore, reviews towards the film have been mostly mixed to negative. Yeah, some people might find the film entertaining, but shortlisting this film for Oscars is again something that is not justified in any way! 
The biggest joke is that Chota Bheem, a children’s film based on the popular cartoon series, was also among the shortlisted films. Animal and Kalki 2898 were still acceptable, but Chota Bheem being shortlisted? This can only make us wonder what goes on in the minds of the “film experts” who are responsible for these kinds of selections. Do they envision a room full of serious film critics or a bunch of cartoon-loving kids having a blast watching animated adventures? But they are “experts”, so we are to believe that a children’s show about a chubby little boy and his gang of animated misfits can truly capture the grandeur and diversity of Indian cinema. It’s almost laughable that while serious filmmakers are crafting masterpieces like Maharaja, the selection committee seems to be searching for the next best cartoon film.
The Need for Quality Representation
India’s film industry is one of the largest in the world, yet it has not secured an Oscar nomination since 2001. Doesn’t this itself raise questions about the quality of films we submit? The films we choose to represent us often reflect a reliance on popular appeal rather than true artistic achievement. And sometimes the committee will ignore a popular yet beautiful movie for some random movie for no reason. One such example is The Lunchbox, a 2013 drama film, which had received a lot of popularity and appreciation from both audiences and critics. But despite this, the Oscar selection committee sends another movie instead. Even RRR was not selected by the “experts” in 2022, as India’s official entry. But despite this, the film got nominated and became the first Indian film to win an Oscar, due to the immense popularity and appreciation it had received internationally.
Due to the critical acclaim and commercial success of the Tamil film Maharaja, which is arguably one of the best films released this year, many would argue that it could have been sent instead of Laapataa Ladies. Keeping that aside, it is really embarrassing that cartoon films like Chota Bheem were even shortlisted. Nothing much needs to be said about this, as anyone with brains can see how the Film Federation of India is making such decisions. Unfortunately, despite living in a “democracy”, there is nothing the public can even do in such matters.
Are Oscars that important for India?
Winning an Oscar doesn’t solely define a film’s quality or success, but we can’t ignore the importance of the awards either. They really do help our culture gain exposure and popularity. Just look at famous Iranian director Asghar Farhadi—after he snagged two Oscars for Best Foreign Language International Feature Film, people around the world suddenly became interested in Iranian cinema. Similarly, before the immense popularity of RRR, most people outside India didn’t even realize that India has numerous vibrant regional industries as well, beyond Bollywood. They assumed all Indian films were Bollywood productions. But RRR shattered such myths and sparked curiosity about the diverse regional cinema that India has to offer! But considering what kind of movies we are seeing these days, and the kind of films that are being shortlisted, who knows when we shall gain this level of exposure again!
