Once again it’s the Oscar time and yet again India’s official entry for the prestigious award has managed to create hullabaloo within the Bollywood community as well as among many Hindi film fans. Filmmaker/Chairperson of the selection committee, Vinod Pande and his entourage have nominated Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Eklavya as India’s entry for the Best Foreign Film category.
Besides Eklavya, other films that managed a spot in the final list of the selection committee included Yash Raj Production’s blockbuster hit Chak De India, Mani Ratnam’s Guru, Anil Kapoor’s Gandhi My Father and debutante director Bhavna Talwar’s Dharm.
Although Eklavya turned out to be a box-office failure, I did like the film. I found it to be esthetically flawless, Amitabh Bachchan was simply brilliant, a little slow paced but had that certain "arty" feel to it and above all film’s duration is well within 2 hours. However personally speaking, my first choice for the Oscars without a doubt would be Pankaj Kapur starrer, Dharm.
Dharm very delicately displays the religious rift between Hindus and Muslims, never exaggerating any sentiment nor underplaying any emotion. Considering its director Bhavna Talwar’s very first film, she has done an incredible job in her execution while paying attention to every minute detail. Acting wise, I can’t think of a single actor whose acting was not at par with the script but yes, Pankaj Kapur’s portrayal of Pandit Chaturvedi is definitely the film’s biggest highlight.
Then again Bollywood isn’t all about good films; it also has a lot to do with big names, financial backings, huge budgets and most important of all, friends at influential positions. So when you look at these factors, Eklavya’s selection doesn’t come as a surprise. Frankly, I am just glad that they didn’t choose a film on the lines of Shah Rukh Khan’s headache initiating Paheli.
Apparently the main reason behind Dharm’s non-selection for the Oscars was the jury member’s apprehensions over Bhavna Talwar’s ability to promote her film with a bang at an international platform and lack of financial resources.
Vinod Pande admits, "Several other factors seeped in during the discussion and deliberation. But I sincerely feel that Dharm would have got the Oscar for us. Unfortunately, I had to take a collective decision instead of an individual one." [Mumbai Mirror]
I find such situations really disheartening – I mean here we have the head of the selection committee openly confessing that another film should have actually gone ahead but couldn’t, not because it lacked the "cinematic art" but monetary funds. Considering the amount of money that is generated every week by the Hindi Film Industry, surely Film Federation of India (FFI) could have asked for the much needed contributions from top-notch production houses, actors and others involved in the business. Also, since this is the Oscars we are talking about, many non-filmy companies would also be glad to help financially, just for some media-association.
On the other hand, Pahlaj Nihalani, the President of Association of Motion Pictures and TV Programmes that selects the entry, is ticked off with the decision, calling it "disgraceful", "shameful" and “blatant misuse of power". He reasons that a film rejected by Indian masses cannot have the privilege of official entry for Oscar awards. Though I can understand Mr. Nihalani’s disappointment however I don’t agree with his logic. I mean, come on, the Indian masses haven’t been all that great with their selection of blockbuster hits either – if we go by Mr. Nihalani’s reasoning then crappy films like Ramgardh Ke Sholay, Shootout At Lokhandwala, Dhoom, etc also deserve a place in the nomination list.
A film’s nomination should be solely based on its "unique creativity", be it for Oscars or any other awards for that matter. But I guess working towards a "united goal" is not on the priority list of the Indian Film Industry, political games is its manner and as for "good cinema", uh….what’s that?
Comments
19 comments | Add your comment »
Shantanu
Sep 26th, 2007 at 9:13 am | #
This movie had one flaw… Okay Boman Irani wasnt Saif’s dad we come to know this, and Amitabh was…. but Boman wasnt a bad father at all… till the point he (Saif) comes to know that Boman killed his mother, so why does he is getting inclined towards Amitabh. On the other hand Amitabh was just doing his duty just like his ancestors did.
So I think this is one gray area in the movie
Shantanu
shadows
Sep 26th, 2007 at 1:21 pm | #
I think Guru would have been a better choice.. And it has better chances of winning (come on, a movie like that would find sympathizers in an “evil capitalist and decadent Western” country )
A casual viewer might miss the hints like the portrayal of typical JNU/St Stephens English-accent speaking sarkari officers in the end ). It was a beautiful portrayal of how the socialist governments clamped down on freedom of the citizens..
Probably, the government chaps missed the irony in Guru.. and let the movie through unedited..
Sona
Sep 26th, 2007 at 3:39 pm | #
I completely disliked “Eklavya”. Guru according to me is a much better choice.
Preeti
Sep 26th, 2007 at 5:43 pm | #
I have to agree with Sakshi here. Eklavya was good but not good enough as an Oscar nomination. Dharm on the other hand was a powerful film, very much in tuned with today’s time. But as she said, good cinema no one really cares about.
2S
Sep 26th, 2007 at 7:58 pm | #
You obviously haven’t seen Black Friday …
Yogustus
Sep 27th, 2007 at 3:02 am | #
just wanted to say hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!
Saakshi O. Juneja
Sep 27th, 2007 at 6:15 am | #
2S : Well for a moment there I was so tempted to say “No” to your question but fortunately I have seen “Black Friday” and for that matter even interviewed the man who made the film. But with regards to the Oscars, Black Friday is surely better than Eklavya but not as good as Dharm.
Black Friday, to me, is sort of a cross between a documentary and an art film. Plus I guess the entire court controversy surrounding the film and its delay in release could have also been the reason for its non-selection.
Saakshi O. Juneja
Sep 27th, 2007 at 6:21 am | #
Shadows: No doubt Guru is a good film but you think it’s really that good..to go for the Oscars, na..don’t think so. Though it raised some valid points but on the whole it’s your typical desi-commercial cinema.
Yogustus: Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
Naresh
Sep 27th, 2007 at 12:38 pm | #
I saw Dharm after u recommended it on ur blog, and I must agree with you. It wud have been the right entry. Just cos it wasnt so talked about, perhaps, they haven’t sent it! That aside, Dharm is indeed a must-watch for everyone…
PS: Whats in Ekalavya that makes it an Oscar entry? I dont consider it worthy for a Filmfare award too, seriously!
Meenakshi
Sep 27th, 2007 at 2:25 pm | #
I also felt Eklavya was bad, simply because the editing felt too choppy, there wasn’t much character development, and someone didn’t do their homework in terms of making a royal family fit into modern times. Guru was ok, but I wasn’t exactly bowled over by anyone’s acting. I really think Chak De India would be the best because it shows Bollywood in its best element and produces a raw innocence that is rare in Indian cinema these days.
Supremus
Sep 27th, 2007 at 7:59 pm | #
Dharm was just boring tripe. I am glad it was not selected for oscars. Though I am pissed Eklavya made it….Heck, there should not have been an entry this year!
Saakshi O. Juneja
Sep 28th, 2007 at 5:50 am | #
Supremus – Why am I not surprised reading your comment?
I can understand why one may think Dharm as nothing but a boring film. I mean, who really wants to see a film that deals with real issues such as religion, greed for power, human relationships, politics, etc. So what if the film makes you look within yourself and forces you to ask questions which otherwise you so conveniently avoid.
Films are solely looked upon as a form of entertainment, no wonder many feel that a film like “Chak De” is a better choice for the Oscars, even if it has been done to death a million times in the overseas market. So what if it offers nothing more than pretense patriotism, some good lookin-women that too in short skirts, a famous super-star and other “glossy” Bollywood effects.
Yup, really…Dharm is seriously dull in comparison.
Supremus
Sep 28th, 2007 at 7:05 pm | #
Dharm had a good subject, but was messed up in its execution. The hrishita bhatt side angle was totally unnecessary and long winding. More over it was slow as a snail – had the pace of the movie been better, I would have thought it was a better choice.
In my opinion, 1971 was the movie of choice amongst all the movies [If you haven't seen it, i suggest you do so immediately
]. That movie bought about the futility of war, the fate of unsung unknown heroes of 1971 war beautifully. It was gritty and gut wrenching, and brilliantly acted. Its a surprise that nobody even mentions about that movie… while a similarly less talked about boring movie Dharm seems to make news.
S
Saakshi O. Juneja
Sep 29th, 2007 at 7:12 am | #
Supremus : As I always say, “To Each Its Own”. I don’t agree with your views on Dharm. A film dealing with such a sensitive topic is bound to be slow paced. One cannot rush thru emotions and other strong reactions. Plus it was still under 2 hours 15 minutes duration, which is good by any standards.
However I do agree, 1971 (Of course I have watched it) is a well-made film. As a matter of fact I have even done an interview with one of the lead guys but just haven’t found the time to put it up on the blog. Though the direction was commendable (again by a debutant director), I thought the editing was a bit sloppy. Manoj Bajpai was okay, I have seen him perform much better in some of his earlier films.
But I still do think Dharm would have been a better selection for Oscars.
sneha
Sep 29th, 2007 at 1:06 pm | #
Hi, all friends
Eklavya is very nice movie this is going for oscar
Eklavya , the Hindi feature film depicting a violent family saga starring Bollywood
mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan , has been nominated as India’s official entry for
Oscar award for the best foreign movie category.
IDEA UNIQUE
Sep 29th, 2007 at 5:42 pm | #
Eklavya has been selected for India’s official OSCAR entry. I am neither a Vidhu Vinod Chopra-fan nor Kalpana Talwar-fan. This lady is openly bad-mouthing about Eklavya and India’s jury for OSCAR selection. Is this dignity? Why did not she complain about the jury BEFORE submitting her film? It is just because her film has not been selected – she is shouting from rooftop.SHAME SHAME SHAME. And what exactly is she trying convey to the world? No one in India saw her movie and now she wants to prove that Indians have no taste of cinema by show-casing her movie to OSCARS? AND A MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION IS – TOMORROW IF OSCAR JURY REJECTS HER FILM – WILL SHE SEND A LEGAL NOTICE TO THEM ALSO??????? Come-on Ms. Talwar – be a dignified Indian and whatever the Jury decides – respect it.
Saakshi O. Juneja
Oct 1st, 2007 at 7:44 am | #
IDEA UNIQUE : Well Ms. Talwar’s outburst is understandable. You cannot expect someone to keep their trap shut when the head of the jury team openly says that their film should have actually gone ahead but due to lack of financial resources we will send another film instead.
Nimra
Oct 2nd, 2007 at 6:15 pm | #
I agree that Dharm would have been a better choice than all the other Hindi films excluding Black Friday, which was not even submitted. So it was not even in consideration, unfortunately. Like all VVC directed films of late, he focuses on the aesthetics rather than on the script. Personally I wish films from other parts of the country were considered too. Adoor Gopalakrishnan makes some brilliant Malayalee films, which would probably stand a better chance at making the cut than most other films in the country including the Bollywood ones.
Daddy's Girl
Oct 3rd, 2007 at 5:17 pm | #
I think ‘Chak De India’ should have gotten the ticket – it has all the right elements to impress… ‘Eklavya’ is very good but it’s also very flawed and has absolutely no chance of winning in my opinion. This is an excellent site by the way.