This piece on rediff prompted me to think what should have been India's entry to the Oscars. Out of all the options mentioned, I too ended up with 3 final choices: RDB, LRM and Omkara. Which one should be India's entry to Oscar’s? Rather I should ask 2 questions here given what previous trends at Oscar are
1) Which movie deserves to go to Oscars?
2) Which movie had better chances of winning an Oscar for India?
While answer for the 1 will vary from person to person, to answer 2 One should look at the theme of these movies....
1) RDB- asking the new generation to repeat what Rajguru, Sukhdev and Bhagat Singh did for India. Yes, British have gone but they are virtually still there as some of our own brethren.
DisAdv: While the theme is anti western but the scope of the theme is not international
Adv: Unique presentation, inspiring.
2) LRM- entertaining Gandhian principles in non preachy way
DisAdv: No one knows Munnabhai outside India and the presentation may make the message appear to the judges as hilarious and therefore insincere.
Adv: Gandhi sells big time on international scenario (as mentioned in the opening scenes of RDB itself)
3) Omkara- Indian adaptation of Othello
Adv: very original everything from songs, script and plot is very uniquely adapted to Indian scenario
DisaAdv: No international appeal, and frankly no one knows the situation in any town of BIMARU statesSo what do you think should have been sent to Oscar’s this time to have a better chance of winning Oscars??
I think I would have gone for Omkara in both the cases. The disadvantage in case of RDB is simply too high for it to win Oscars.
According to you all which movie deserves to go Oscars (Question 1)??
Monday, September 25, 2006
India's Entry 2 Oscar
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12 comments:
I guess all the script writers, directors and producers serious enuff, shud sit doen and plan some better movies, than just thinking about wooing audiences. Then only shud we be thinking abt Oscars. To me, no movie is worty enuff rite now for any Oscar.
BTW.. that anon is me - Danny.
Don't have time to login and then publish :)
@KT: Straight answer RDB. Why? Because I like it more than the others.. Simple answer.. It will win or not, but I am happy that it is in oscars...
@Danny: All movies are worthy for a Oscar. After all Oscar is not the benchmark set considering everything. These have stirred the thoughts of the audience in the area where they were released... We can connect with them more easily...
ok.. from these 3 - Omkara - cant really comment as I have not seen it...
in any case, it didnt have that huge a mass appeal...
Lage Raho - u correctly said that the situations shown to promote gandhgiri were sometimes funnny...
and everybody may not be easily able to relate to them.. e.g i dont think any govt officer asks for bribe so openly.. (may be some one has experienced it but i dont think it generally happens - it is more of hints and body language which suggest that ok.. smthing more is needed here... to show a way of protest(removing clothes and all) it was shown that officer is directly asking "haan.. 5000 rs lagenge"..
so its not a realistic situation..
and also as u said - that the charachters munna bhai , circuit etc are also not very realistic.. they have taken birth to make a point which director wants to tell - the theme is no doubt the positive point...
coming to RDB.... again the message was important... and in this it was told through a much realistic way - very realistic characters which a normal youth(to whom the movie was targetted) can easily corelate...
again one drawback again is the way the minister is being killed.. but apart from that the way of putting their point - through rallies..and putting their views to public.. also the emotions, their frustration... were quite real.. they were infact actually followed by people...have u seen any one smiling and forgiving when, say some one hits ur car/bike...
i guess i have gone into the themes and effects of the movies rather than sticking to oscar...
but as i told u . wanted to write abt it for some time..u provided me the opportunity.. :)
i wont be surprised if RDB wins the
@danny..yeah can't agree less with that... BLACK to me was one such movie but thanx to absurd film board a movie like PAHELI went to Oscars..
@amrut: yaar main choice ki baat nahin kar raha hun .... actually u've answered the question 1 here and that's ok with me....
@Sid: Well yes RDB did generate a little mass appeal IN INDIA. People protesting post Jessica Lal verdict shows that and some of it was visible in first round of anti-quota protests as well but why do u think youth from America will feel the same thing which you and I felt.
I did say that RDB was a piece of unique and excellent direction, so acting, emotions and situations were realistic, just that they don't have an INTERNATIONAL APPEAL I believe.
Let me xplain with a real life example. LAGAAN to me had very much the contents of a typical Hollywood movie and storyline was unique too but OSCAR went to NO MAN'S LAND...story of two people of opposite armies caught in no man's land in a war torn area. Now that's what I call an INTERNATIONAL APPEAL. War situations, people making big in life despite physical abilities are some popular international themes!!
well you are as
Finally I am pretty sure that this year's Foreign Film Oscar will come to RDB only if all the countried send their PAHELI's to the Oscars
@KT:
ok.. ya i had thought abt writing that internatioanl appeal thing.. but was lost in the maze i started writing...
ok.. international appeal.. RDB HAS it..
why? because of the theme...
what is the theme: in 1 line if I try to sum it up is: "zindagi jeene ke 2 hi tareeke hote hain..jo ho raha hai hone do.(turn a blind eye) ya fer zimedaari uthao usse badalne ki"
now this concept is applicable to any country any culture... but only the concept. not the way it is potrayed..
the way this theme is potrayed is indian - with freedom struggle its background..but that is why it is nominated in the "foreign category"..so it has to correspond to that its concept transcends boundaries keeping the country and its culture in frame...
Lagaan - i must say fell into a similar category...but that became more of an entertainer with the excitement and thrill of a cricket match shadowing the real motive of "freedom"...
RDB in my sense is a notch above Lagaan as it never loses focus!!
except the fact the while Lagaan although an entertainer and motivational movie told people abt how "no matter at what level are you, only the will to fight it matters..rest happens by chance"
while RDB has a very negative note to it.. something like what international terrorism is all about.... "I think they are wrong and so I am justified in killing them" the whole portrayal negates any merit to the movie as BEST movie in foreign category.
except the fact the while Lagaan although an entertainer and motivational movie told people abt how "no matter at what level are you, only the will to fight it matters..rest happens by chance"
while RDB has a very negative note to it.. something like what international terrorism is all about.... "I think they are wrong and so I am justified in killing them" the whole portrayal negates any merit to the movie as BEST movie in foreign category.
I wanted to write this yesterday itself.
But, I refrained as I didn't see the context. Now I think I will put it down.
I hope you guys saw the interview of Alec Padamse and Mahesh Bhatt on this issue. Mahesh Bhatt was aganist this hype of Oscars while Alec was of the opinion that "We need not follow the Gore Chamdis but show them that we are good" What appeals Indian public may not really appeal the Oscar panel. So a movie like BLACK (which for my money Sucked!!!) would qualify more for an oscar than RDB. Nevertheless, an award is an award and Oscar is ofcourse a big thing!!
@KT: Answering your second Question. RDB is a fast paced movie. I am not that good a critic, but I would just say that I could connect with it and hence I feel many can and so it shud win. Logic can't explain everything!!!
well I don't think I can see in my lifetime that National Award or for that matter any award (Manikchand, IIFA, Zee, Sony) becomes as popular as the Oscars.
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