Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2002 5:31 pm
Posts: 630
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and last one: 
Bharat Shah confident of an Oscar nomination
By Roshmila Bhattacharya
Devdas is India’s official entry for the 75th Annual Academy Awards scheduled for April, 2003. A 16-member committee of the Film Federation of India (FFI) chose Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic extravaganza over Rajkumar Santoshi’s bio-pic, The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, Karan Johar’s family saga Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Mani Ratnam’s heart-tugging Kannathil Muthamittal, Arjun Sajnani’s period drama Agnivarsha and two critically acclaimed Bengali films, Sanjhbatir Roopkatha and Manda Mayer Upakanya.
The film’s producer, Bharat Shah insists that he was confident of Devdas edging out the competition because “after Mughal-e-Azam we had not produced a film of such grandeur, a film that excelled in every department from the sets, costumes and cinematography to Sanjay Bhansali’s assured direction and soul-stirring performance from a star-studded castâ€.
Shah plans to start his Oscar campaigning in a fortnight’s time. “Money,†he maintains, “will not be a problem.†But he doesn’t plan on pumping dollars unnecessary either. Or hyping up the film too much.
Shah has his sights set on the British Academy Of Film & TV (BAFTA) Awards, the Golden Globe Awards and the Directors Guild Of America Awards. “If we can bag a couple of awards or certificates of merit at these prestigious festivals that are a follow-up to the Academy Awards, then our chances of winning an Oscar nomination will be really bright. Ninety per cent of the battle will be won,†says Shah, revealing his grand plan.
Last year, Aamir Khan and Ashutosh Gowariker spent almost six months in the UK and US campaigning for Lagaan that was one of the five films nominated for the Oscars. It narrowly missed out on the coveted statuette, losing out to Bosnia’s No Man’s Land. Shah at the moment is not making any travel plans. He insists that even without him his director, artistes and overseas distributor will do a good job of selling his Rs 50 crore production to Academy members who decide on the Final Five.
Eros International are planning to release Devdas as a mainstream film in the US in January. The film is being dubbed in English and French and later in Japanese too. The new cut will be a shorter version of two-and-a-half hours without the Shah Rukh, Jackie, Madhuri medley ‘Chalak chalak...’ However, the Academy will get to see the full two hours 45 minutes opus and Shah is confident they’ll love it. “In Cannes it got brilliant reviews, didn’t it?†he reminds you. Not if the Indian journos present at the festival are to be believed. They insist that the international press present at the French Riviera found the film too loud, kitchy and melodramatic. “We Indians have a tendency to run down what is our own. Irrespective of what these guys tell you the fact is that the French loved the film,†Shah says forcefully.
Both Shah Rukh and Aishwarya have huge fan followings in the UK and US too. Is Shah planning to use his stars to campaign for the project the way Aamir Khan did for Lagaan? “Sure, Aishwarya and Shah Rukh are very popular stars and they will surely help the film. But eventually, I think, what works with the Academy is not star power but the story, performances and the direction and that’s where Devdas will score over our past Indian entries,†avers Shah.
There was a time when the industry called the film an “extravaganze†and scoffed at Shah for taking a foolish risk. Today, the producer asserts that every rupee was worth it and at Rs 50 crore Devdas came cheap.
The film, according to the trade, has already done a business of Rs 65 crore and, Shah insists, that it continues to make the cash counters jingle. “In India even a superhit film doesn’t do a business of more than Rs 50-60 crore but overseas if it catches on in a big way, the way Devdas has, the sky is the limit,†asserts Shah. He is confident that in its language versions the film will find a bigger audience in the UK, US, France and Japan and go on to do a business of Rs 100 crore and more. “We have also still to sell the satellite rights of the film,†he adds. “And if it wins an Oscar or even an Oscar nomination business will only go up.â€
Meanwhile, Shah is getting ready to announce his next film, in early December. He is tight-lipped about the project but insists that it will be “very bigâ€.
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