Anurag Kashyap Questions India's Oscar Selection Process

A row has erupted between Gondhal director Santosh Davakhar and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap after the latter slammed India's selection of films for the Oscars. Marathi film Gondhal was recently announced as India’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.

Anurag Kashyap Criticises India's Oscar Pick

In an exclusive interview with Variety India, Kashyap talked about about why India has struggled to register at the Oscars and said, “Because we select absolutely wrong films. Even if we did have the chance to select the right ones like The Lunchbox and All We Imagine As Light, we messed it up.” He called out the selection process as being mired in "too much politics", flagging a pressing lack of awareness.

“The most important qualification for eligibility should be that the film should have gone to some international festival outside India or should have had American distribution or should have had an American distributor before year-end. Gondhal should first try to get seen at festivals. That has to be the first step, or all the money spent on screenings or advertising is a waste,” the filmmaker said.

Gondhal Director On Kashyap's Statements

“Also, the IFFI is a recognised Indian film festival. If Gondhal won the Silver Peacock there, NFDC should play a role in submitting its Regional IFFI winners for international festivals for exposure,” he insisted.

However, he also clarified that it was too early for him to comment about the film’s chance at winning, as he is yet to watch the film.

Responding in the comments section of the publication’s social media post, Davakhar stated, “I deeply respect Anurag Kashyap Sir and his filmmaking. On the Bengaluru-Mumbai flight on 26 April at 23:55, I introduced Gondhal to him. He said he hadn’t heard of or watched it, but would definitely do so. Since then, it has neither been publicly available nor screened in Mumbai.”

Davakhar exhorted audiences to watch the film before forming an opinion about it.

“Made by a debut filmmaker from outside the film fraternity, Gondhal is a psychological thriller blending Marathi culture with global appeal. It is created for the big screen-not OTT. We understand the responsibility of representing India and will not let our country down. Please watch it in theatres upon its upcoming re-release and stand behind us as we face the world.”