bhaskar wrote:
http://ia.rediff.com/movies/2008/jan/16eklavya.htm
In a list released by the Oscars' official website, Eklavya did not find a mention among the nine films nominated in the Best Foreign Language Films category.
The nine films that made it are:
Austria: The Counterfeiters
Brazil [Images]: The Year My Parents Went on Vacation
Canada [Images]: Days of Darkness
Israel: Beaufort
Italy [Images]: The Unknown Woman
Kazakhstan: Mongol
Poland: Katyn
Russia [Images]: 12
Serbia: The Trap
Eklavya, starring Amitabh Bachchan [Images], Saif Ali Khan [Images], Sanjay Dutt [Images] and Boman Irani, had faced a lot of opposition when it was selected to be India's choice for the Oscars. Director Bhavna Talwar, who's Dharam was among the favourites, claimed that the jury was bias, and was partial to Eklavya. She even went to court regarding the issue. Seems like the fuss was not worth it after all.
With the list of films above, is it any wonder why Eklayva didn't stand a chance? A film like Dharm looks like it would've been a better choice as I don't think it's a "bollywood" film and more of an art film. Those sorts of films are more appreciated by international critics (as long as they are in a foreign language and not English). Sorry to say but I think it will be very rare for a "bollywood" film like Lagaan or Mother India to be nominated for a long time. Very few films from India come close and while some within the film industry are shocked as to why a Devdas or Black can't win many (if any) awards outside of India they need to learn the reason why. I met someone the other day who couldn't understand how black didn't sweep the awards all over the world as according to him it's the greatest film there ever will be. The guy was so passionate about it, I decided to keep quiet.