So, yet another Aamir movie has been dispatched to the Oscars for yet another desperate attempt to bring a trophy home, eh? That too, without any prior research on the same? The President of the Film Federation of India (FFI) committee, which selected Peepli Live as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards, claims that the film was chosen because “it depicts the stark reality about farmers in India, but deals with it in a light-hearted manner.” Do you think that the Oscar jury really cares about that?
Agreed that Peepli had fetched its director Anusha Rizvi the Best Debutante Director Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Agreed that the movie was also judged the Best First Feature Film at the Durban Film Festival. There’s no denying that the film has used intelligent humour to bring a grave and ugly reality to the fore. But, using the movie as a bait to catch the so-called big fish called “The Oscar” is akin to belittling the honours bestowed upon it. We’re already proud of Peepli Live, then why push it ahead to achieve a distant dream? Are the Oscars the ultimate reward by which a movie achieves eternal glory?
Since we do have to send one of our movies to compete in the Academies race, let us first understand how it all works by considering this case study. Some of our entries are known to have made it to the Top Five slot, Lagaan being the last to do so. However, it is believed that the Indian blockbuster failed to reach the finishing line because the jury that year was reportedly more interested in films based on war and terrorism (let’s not forget that Lagaan had participated in the 2002 Awards, happening a few months after 9/11). And hence, the Bosnian entry No Man’s Land – a war movie about one Serbian and two Bosnian soldiers – stole the show.
Thus, a proactive decision after considering the mindset of the jury is a recommended solution. Although it’s indeed difficult to predict who the jury members would be and what treat they would expect, trend analysis has to be done. A movie should not be selected only on the basis of relative judgment; it should be relevant, rather than powerful.
And, last but not the least; let’s stop making desperate fools of ourselves in the Oscars race. Let’s accept the fact that Indian movies are branded as trash on the international cinema stage. And if a gem of a movie like Peepli Live does come up, its victory eventually depends upon what’s going on in the minds of the jury members of an awards function. And since the Indian movie industry has a mad dream of winning, touching and feeling an Oscar trophy, sending relevant entries is the only hope, which may (only may for the time being) fulfill this dream.
