Every
year Bollywood yearns for international
recognition. Bollywood does receive
that from many quarters, but the epitome
of all this are the Oscars. The Oscars
have not been too kind to Bollywood.
The last Indian film to have entered
the final round at the foreign film
category was Lagaan back in 2002.
Since then no film has been able to make it. Last
year, Paheli was sent in with much hopes but failed.
This time round we have two films that are going
to the Oscars.
Both of them are classic efforts in their own
rights. They are as different as two films can
be, but they have a common current of patriotism
running. If Rang De Basanti had more to do with
Bhagath Singh, then Lage Raho Munna Bhai had more
to do with Gandhiji. When it came to the final
round of selection for sending India’s official
entry to Oscars RDB beat Munna Bhai at the post.
But Vidhu Vinodh Chopra, producer of Munna Bhai
was not deterred. He was convinced that he had
made a film that deserved to be seen on the global
stage. He went ahead and independently entered
Lage Raho Munna Bhai for the Oscars. Now the wait
begins as the run up to the Oscars is in full
swing.
Let us hope that both make it to the final round
and one of them brings back the Oscar. If not,
then we shall revert to the tried and tested escape
route. ‘Why do we need foreign awards? We
have awards of our own’.
