The film, a satirical comedy that thumbed its nose at the Fourth Estate while simultaneously dealing with the issue of the farmers’ suicide in India, could not make it to the shortlist of nine films at the Academy.
Out of these nine, four more will be eliminated before the final five nominations are announced on January 25.
Since the last few years, India, despite being home to the world’s largest film producing industry, has been facing disappointment at the Oscars. Aamir Khan has singularly been gunning for the coveted Golden Man without winning it yet.
His film Lagaan may have got the nomination in 2002, but lost out to the Bosnian film No Man’s Land. Since then, films like Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par couldn’t even win the nomination.
Even the so-called Indian arthouse cinema hasn’t produced a film worth an Oscar so far.
However, it was A R Rahman and sound technician Resul Pookutty who made us proud by winning Oscars in 2009 for their work in Slumdog Millionaire.