Indian film actor Om Puri (City of Joy, Wolf, My son the Fanatic) has been nominated for Best Actor in London Film Critics’ Circle and BAFTA (BRitish Academy awards).
The film’s Bafta-nominated actor Om Puri, who plays a frustrated father struggling to uphold traditional Asian values, is up against Spacey in the best actor category, along with Oscar-winning Life is Beautiful star Roberto Benigni.
The British comedy movie East is East has already been picked out for six possible Baftas. It now also finds itself nominated by the Alfs for the title of best film.
British-made movie East is East was nominated for six awards, including best film, outstanding British film of the year and best adapted screenplay.
Hollywood blockbuster The Sixth Sense, which picked up a raft of Oscar nominations, was nominated for four awards, including best film, best director (Manoj Night Shyamalan) and best original screenplay (Manoj Night Shyamalan).
Manoj Night Shyamalan , Indian born director of Sixth Sense has already been nominated for Best Director and Best screen play at the Oscars.
East is East receives five nominations Linda Bassett who plays Om Puri’s screen wife - and is also nominated for a Bafta - is included in the best British actress category.
Mr. Ayub Khan Din (East is East) has been nominated for The Carl Foreman Award For the Most Promising Newcomer in British Film:
There has been growing Indian presence in BAFTA and Oscars. Last year Indian director Shekhar Kapur (Masoom, Bandit Queen) was nominated for Best
Director award at BAFTA. His film Elizabeth was nominated for Best Film both at Oscars and BAFTA. Past winners from India who have
won BAFTAS are Rohini Hattangadi for Best Supporting actress role in Gandhi. Bhanu Athaiya-Rajopadhye had won the Best Costume Oscar award for Gandhi.
This year Deepa Mehta’s film Earth was expected to be nominated for Best Foreign Film at Oscars but missed the list. Nominated was for the
first time a Nepali film Caravan. In the past Indian films Mother India and Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay have been nominated for Best Foreign language films.