Paheli India’s entry for Oscars
Mumbai, Sept. 26 (PTI); The Hindi feature film ‘Paheli’ directed by Amol Palekar has been selected as India’s entry in the foreign films category at the Oscars.
A 10-member jury, headed by noted filmmaker Vinod Pandey, made the selection after week-long deliberations, Secretary of Film Federation of India Supran Sena, told PTI.
“I’m happy at the nomination of the film for the Oscars”, said Palekar in Pune. The film is produced by actor Shahrukh Khan, who also plays the lead role in it. Rani Mukherjee is the other key actor in the movie.
Asked if he would go for lobbying which plays an important role in mobilizing opinion in favour of a film at the Oscars, the director “it is not the lobbying but the subject matter of the film which is important.”
“Paheli” beat 14 other films including ‘Swades’, ‘Veer-Zara’, ‘Black’, ‘Parineeta’, ‘Page 3’, ‘Iqbal’, ‘Mangal Pandey’ and Marathi film ‘Uttarayan’ for the nomination, Sena said.
‘Paheli’, which, according to Palekar deals with a `woman’s right to make a choice’, is a love story set in the picturesuqe locales of Rajasthan.
“Paheli” is based on the novel by leading Rajasthani writer Vijaydan Detha and the same book was reproduced on the celluloid by Mani Kaul several years back.
Palekar said when he narrated the script of “Paheli” to Shah Rukh, he liked it so much that he offered to produce it.
He said Shahrukh is an “able producer” and "everything depends on him how he handles things in the run up to the Oscars.
The director said he and Shahrukh would sit together and frame the strategy.
Ashutosh Gowariker’s “Lagaan” starring Aamir Khan and Marathi film “Shwwas” were nominated for Oscars in the last few years but missed the eventual glory.
According to Palekar, Paheli, which also features Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Juhi Chawla, Suniel Shetty and Amitabh Bachchan, was completed in only 47 days.
Marathi film `Shwaas’, which was India’s entry to the Oscars last year, could not live upto the hype generated.
Some of the earlier entries in the last few years include the Amir Khan-starrer Lagaan,' directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas.’
The following have been some of India’s entries to the Oscars over the years: Mehboob Khan’s Mother India (1957), Guru Dutt’s Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam (1963), Shyam Benegal’s Ankur (1974) and Manthan (1978), Mahesh Bhatt’s Saransh (1985).
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Interestingly, directors of three of the last four Indian entries for the Oscars are from Maharashtra from where late Dadasaheb Phalke, pioneer of the Indian film industry hailed. India’s Oscar winner Bhanu Athaiya (Rajopadhye) who won for costume design for Gandhi is also from Maharashtra.
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I surprisingly liked the movie though I don’t think it should’ve been nominated for the Oscars. Swades could’ve been a better choice or Black.