All We Imagine As Light; R- Laapataa Ladies
When Payal Kapadia's âAll We Imagine As Light' emerged victorious at Cannes 2024 winning the Grand Prix, it seemed like a no brainer that the film would be selected as India's official entry for Oscars. The independent film ended India's 30-year dud phase at Cannes by winning one of the top honours of the prestigious festival. The film which also received a standing ovation was heavily praised by cinema lovers from across the world and hence establishing the worldly appeal of the movie set in India. However, the Film Federation of India opted to go ahead with Kiran Rao's much-acclaimed film âLaapataa Ladies' as India's official entry for Oscars. This led to divided reactions from movie lovers in India after the federation snubbed 'All We Imagine As Light'.
Before we dive into whether India had better options than 'Laapataa Ladies' or not for the Oscars , here's taking a look at the decision-making process that went behind selecting the much-loved film for the Oscars.
A 13-member selection committee was formed to select India's official entry for the Oscars. Now, it is a mammoth task to achieve as the country annually produces over 1000 films. The committee narrowed down to 29 films across various languages in the country. The films that were in contention were Telugu films like 'Hanu-Man', 'Kalki 2898 AD', 'Mangalavaaran', Tamil films 'Kottukkaali', 'Maharaja', 'Jigarthanda Double X', 'Thangalaan', 'Jama', 'Vaazhai', Malayalam films 'Aattam', 'Ullozhukku', 'Aadujeevitham', 'All We Imagine As Light', Hindi films 'Laapataa Ladies', 'Chhota Bheem and the curse of Damyaan', 'Kill', 'Animal', 'Srikanth', 'Chandu Champion', 'Sam Bahadur', Maidaan', Swantatrya Veer Savarkar', 'Article 370', Odia film 'Aabha', Marathi films 'Ghaath', 'Gharat Ganpati'.
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The political climate of India comes to fore when one thinks of possible reasons for Kapadia's film not getting selected. Payal Kapadia was branded an anti-national for leading the protest against Gajendra Chauhan's appointment as FTII head back in 2015 when she was a student at the institute. She was at the forefront of the four-month protest against the appointment of Chauhan as the chairperson of the Film and Television Institute of India. This was termed as the longest protest seen on the campus of FTII. Kapadia, along with other fellow students of the prestigious institute also boycotted classes while questioning Chauhan's capabilities to hold the office of the chairperson.
Lyricist and comedian Varun Grover took to X to ponder over the same. "I mean it was expected that the chaaploos mandali (who can't even write a citation with any attention to detail or meaning) will never select a film by someone who has questioned their authority. And it's still heartbreaking. We rarely get such a strong contender as AWIAL.," he said without mincing his words.
In the same thread he expressed his excitement for filmmaker Rao as she begins her Oscars journey. "At the same time, happy for Kiran Rao and her team. They made a sensitive, progressive, rooted film told beautifully through a new set of actors (and a hate-speecher) - and totally deserve a shot at glory. Best wishes to them. Jai Ho!"
"Submitting a film for the Oscars is not just about the film being good but also whether the producers have the funds / desire / know-how / contacts to mount the hugely expensive Oscar campaign. #laapaataladies is the perfect choice," tweeted national award-winning film critic Baradwaj Rangan soon after a debate on India's official entry ensued on social media.
The Oscar campaigning ahead of the nomination announcement can be an expensive process. This is where 'Laapataa Ladies' has an advantage as the film has backing by Jio Studios owned by the country's richest man Mukesh Ambani. The film also has the backing and visibility that superstar Aamir Khan can provide. His production 'Lagaan' had earlier made it to the nominations under the International Feature Film category.
However, when it comes to international recognition, 'All We Imagine As Light' already has an upper hand. Winning the Grand Prix is no mean feat. 'The Zone of Interest', winner of 2023 Grand Prix eventually went on to win the Oscars in the International Feature Film category.
Kapadia's film is also in the process of being one of the most widely distributed Indian indie films of all time. Deals are in place for the U.S., U.K. and France - the three countries with the highest numbers of Academy voters. The film had also made it to France's Oscars shortlist before they opted to send Jacques Audiard's Emilia Perez.
The FFI said in its citation: "Indian women are a strange mixture of submission and dominance. Well-defined, powerful characters in one world, âLaapataa Ladies' (Hindi) captures this diversity perfectly, though in a semi-idyllic world and in a tongue-in-cheek way. It shows you that women can happily desire to be homemakers as well as rebel and be entrepreneurially inclined. A story that can simultaneously be seen as one that needs change, and one that can bring about change. âLaapataa Ladies' (Hindi) is a film that can engage, entertain and make sense not just to women in India but universally as well."
