India’s ‘Laapataa Ladies’ out of Oscars race, Hindi film ‘Santosh’ from UK moves to next round

New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) “Laapataa Ladies”, India’s official entry in the Best International Feature category at the 97th Academy Awards, is out of the Oscars race but Sandhya Suri’s Hindi film “Santosh”, representing the UK, has advanced to the next round.

Directed by Kiran Rao, “Laapataa Ladies” (“Lost Ladies” in English) failed to make it to the shortlist of 15 films that will be vying for a spot in the final five, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced on Wednesday.

The final Oscar nominations will be announced on January 17.

According to the Academy, 85 countries or regions had submitted films that were eligible for consideration in the International Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards.

“‘Laapataa Ladies’ (Lost Ladies) did not make it to the Academy Awards shortlist this year, and we are of course disappointed, but equally we are immensely grateful for the incredible support and belief we’ve received throughout this journey,” Aamir Khan Productions, Jio Studios and Kindling Productions, which backed the movie, said in a joint statement.

“We congratulate the teams of all the top 15 shortlisted films and wish them the very best in the next stages of the awards.”

“Santosh”, a Hindi-language crime drama from British-Indian filmmaker Suri and featuring acclaimed actors Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, has found a spot in the final 15 as the official entry from the UK.

“So happy for the team, especially our writer-director Sandhya Suri for this little glory of recognition for our film ‘Santosh’! How incredible to be shortlisted from amongst 85 films. Thank you to everyone who loved it, supported it and voted for it,” Goswami posted on Instagram.

The list also includes France’s “Emilia Perez”, “I’m Still Here” (Brazil), “Universal Language” (Canada), “Waves” (Czech Republic), “The Girl with the Needle” (Denmark), and “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” from Germany.

The other contenders are “Touch” (Iceland), “Kneecap” (Ireland), “Vermiglio” (Italy), “Flow” (Latvia), “Armand” (Norway), “From Ground Zero” (Palestine), “Dahomey” (Senegal), and “How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies” (Thailand).

“Santosh”, which premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, is set in Uttar Pradesh and revolves around a newly widowed housewife (Goswami) as she inherits her late husband’s job as a police constable and becomes embroiled in the investigation of a Dalit girl’s murder.

The film is an international co-production of the UK, India, Germany and France. It has been hailed as a “deft thriller” and complex character study of a female cop whose moral conflict intertwines several themes of class, caste and intolerance.

Besides “Santosh”, “Anuja” is another film with an Indian connection that has made it to the next stage of the Oscars. It is one of the 15 films to be selected in the Live Action Short category.

The New Delhi-set short film follows a gifted nine-year-old Anuja, who must make a choice between education and factory work alongside her sister – a decision that will shape both their futures. It stars Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag.

“Anuja” is directed by Adam J Graves and Suchitra Mattai, and has two-time Oscar winning producer Guneet Monga on board as executive producer and Hollywood star-writer Mindy Kaling as producer.

“It’s a tremendous honour to be included among such wonderful films. ‘Anuja’ is the result of a collaboration with so many talented and passionate people, above all our two stars, Sajda and Ananya… But there is nothing more gratifying than knowing that the film moves audiences emotionally, while also drawing attention to the issue of child labor,” Graves said in a statement.

Monga, who is already a two-time Oscar winner, said being shortlisted for the Academy awards is a moment of immense pride.

“‘Anuja’ is a deeply personal story of two sisters navigating through life, celebrating the unwavering hope and resilience of the human spirit… This is a humbling recognition of the team’s dedication and to the strength of this moving story,” she said.

“I Am Ready, Warden” is one of the 15 titles to have been selected in the shortlist of the documentary short film category.

Indian-American filmmaker Smriti Mundhra, known for documentary series “The Romantics”, has directed the short, which follows a prisoner named John Henry Ramirez before his execution by the US state of Texas in 2022.

“Deepest gratitude to all those who helped me make this film and all those who have supported it on its journey. Today’s news has me bursting – ‘ Am Ready, Warden’ made it to the Oscars short list!!” Mundhra wrote on Instagram.

“Laapataa Ladies”, a gently subversive feminist drama which is set in rural India in the early 2000s, was picked up as India’s official entry by the the Film Federation of India (FFI) in September this year. The film follows two brides who get swapped on the day of their wedding during a train ride.

It stars Nitanshi Goel and Pratibha Ranta as the brides Phool and Jaya, respectively, with Sparsh Shrivastav playing the hapless groom in search of his wife. Chhaya Kadam, Ravi Kishan, and Geeta Agrawal Sharma round out its cast.

The film’s selection as India’s official entry had courted a controversy with many on social media saying that the FFI should have nominated Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine As Light”, which charted history earlier this year at the Cannes Festival Film by becoming the first Indian film to win the Grand Prix award.

“All We Imagine As Light” has already kickstarted its Hollywood award season run by earning two nominations at the Golden Globes — best director for Kapadia and best international feature film — as well as a nod for best foreign language film at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.

The Academy also announced shortlists in eight other categories: Documentary Feature Film, Documentary Short Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, and Sound and Visual Effects.

“Lagaan”, set in the pre-independence era, was the last Indian film to enter the top five nominations in the best international feature film category (formerly called best foreign film) at Oscars 2002.

Only two other films have previously made it to the final five and they are the Nargis-starrer “Mother India” and Mira Nair’s “Salaam Bombay!”

In 2023, “Naatu Naatu”, the chartbuster from SS Rajamouli’s Telugu period action film “RRR”, won the Academy Award in the best original song category, while “The Elephant Whisperers”, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Monga’s Sikhya Entertainment, bagged the Oscar in the best documentary short film category.

Comedian Conan O’Brien will host the 2025 Academy Awards on March 2 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, Los Angeles.