C'mon people, you have to have some thoughts on this wacky decision. Let's talk about it....

You've made an astute observation, Aakash, in noting that the choice is more about pandering to a western notion of exotic India than it is about honoring a good movie. Eklavya doesn't have a prayer to win an Oscar, even with the pageant of camels-and-turbans, because it's a pretty weak movie, a shining example of style trumping substance. The Academy jurors will watch it and forget it and move on to the next thing; it won't even make the final 5.

but so what?

I just wish that certain quarters within Indian cinema would stop caring so much about the approval of a bunch of self-appointed film experts on the other side of the world who don't know a lick about Indian film or the culture(s) in which it is embedded.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra in particular seems to be obsessed with the approval of the West, as his ranting, profane responses to criticisms of the choice of Eklavya have included pointing out his positive reviews in U.S. media and comparing himself to Sir David Lean (along with questioning the intelligence of the rest of the Hindi film industry).

It would be nice to see the best Indian films get this honor, but they still might not be appreciated by the Oscar jurors. So what? Satyajit Ray won more National Awards than I can count but was not recognized by the Oscars until he was given an "honorary" award on his deathbed. Does that mean he's not one of the greatest filmmakers the world has ever seen? It would be nice to see Indian cinema have more confidence in its own greatness without looking to the West for a pat on the head.

I say this as a westerner with a love of Indian films for, among other things, the qualities that make them different from what I grew up with. It's not my place to say how Indian film "should" evolve and that's not what I'm trying to say. But I think too much emphasis on the artificially high-valued prize of the Oscar - which even for US films is a political and marketing machine and doesn't necessarily reflect what's really of quality in filmmaking - is dangerous and unnecessary.

@Carla: You make a very rational point in saying that Indian Cinema should not have to look outwardly in order to find comfort in their quality. Yes, as long as your audiences are happy you should be right? WRONG.

It's natural in every walk of life to have an international standard that trumps all others - it serves as a parrallel to which one can compare true world-class quality. In the world of advancement and ingenuity we have the Nobel Prize. In the world of sports and athletics, we have the Olympics. And likewise, in the world of cinema, we have the Oscars.

Are you telling me that athletes should just be happy with winning respect and accolodes from a very narrow audience - and shouldn't care about conquering on a world-class stage for all the globe to see at the Olympics?

Are you saying that one should not care to push himself to be internationally recognized for his ingenius discoveries and breakthroughts with the Nobel Prize? Why? These are all established standards of excellence that is accepted by not only one's limited audience, but by all audiences....not bound by culture, languate, or race.

This is why the Oscars are so important for the cine elite of not only America but for the film fraternity worldwide. It is not saying that we are not satisfied with our own skill, it's to prove that we are THAT good - good enough to compete with anyone out there.

Sure, India can keep having its confidence falsely boosted with these pathetic award functions, which claim to honor "excellence" in films. If this was the case, then Indian Films would never advance. They would never strive to be ever better (outside the few art-house personas out there).

I strongly believe that having an international standard like an Oscar is no different from a Nobel Prize or an Olympics - it's a measure of world-class quality, and only for the truly outstanding artists. Why should India not be worthy of it?

You are correct that international accolades could have value. But why should the Academy be the arbiter of that standard? It's just an incestuous bunch of pretentious Hollywood types who don't know the first thing about what goes on outside of southern California. Give me a real international body, with knowledgable and objective jurors from all over the world - like the Olympics, or the Nobel Prize - and I will care whether Indian films win awards from them. But the Oscars? No chance.

The Oscars are not an international standard of excellence - they're a Hollywood standard of "let's give this film an imprimatur to make more money."

Winning an Oscar won't prove that an Indian film is "THAT good." It will only prove that the film gave the Oscar jury what it wanted and expected to see. Are Hollywood films so great that the people who make them deserve to be the ultimate arbiters of great cinema, even from other cultures and other artistic traditions? I don't think so. But by saying that only their approval can prove that Indian film is great, you are giving them that power.

Out of curiosity... you're making quite bold statements about the lack of qualifications of the jury - do you even know who they are? where they come from? Because the foreign film jury is very vast and very diverse. It's not just a select group of people that these foreign films have to impress. They are done in rounds....and each round that a film passes is judged by different jury boards until it is finally short-listed. It's a very rigorous screening process. So i'm not sure how you are stating these claims.

Perhaps the foreign jury cares more and pays more attention than the mercenaries who decide the domestic awards - but even if that's true (and I allow that I may be completely off base on that) it doesn't change my view at all. I don't think Indian films need Oscar approval to demonstrate their greatness. I don't think Indian films have anything to prove. I don't think winning an Oscar is going to change one thing about the perception of Indian films in the West, and I hope that Indian filmmakers are not shaping their films with the intention of pleasing Academy juries rather than making the films that their hearts and minds tell them to make. And that's all I have to say about this topic, because in case my previous posts haven't made it clear, I don't care one whit about Academy Awards.

Well sure, Aakesh, but think of the United States films that the Academy selects to be in the running for Oscars. I mean YIKES. For the most part, I wouldn't pay to rent these films, let alone see them in the theater, let alone want them awarded. I understand that the Academy are incredible film people (in fact, iirc, one of Jaman's employees was one of them one year) but I still don't prefer or necessarily respect their film choices.

I think, Aakash, that what you're saying is valid, of course. If there was to be ONE film to represent Indian cinema, the one they select should actually represent Indian cinema. But I guess I'm also saying that I don't think the Academy's selections really represent the best of American Cinema, either.

@Carla: I think we've sort of misconstrued one another's points here. In now way did I mean to suggest that Indian Filmmakers should strive to please the Academy . Quite the contrary - they need to make, what they feel, are satisfying films. All I was trying to say is that India needs to be well-represented at the Academy, since it is the most respectable award ceremony out there (whether you agree or not). And it's not right to simply sell the Indian Culture (i.e. Paheli and now Eklavya). So I agree with you, we should really not strive to impress any one entity - but you cannot excuse the fact that we must display Indian Cinema's true excellence on a world-class stage such as the Oscars....I mean it's a great opportunity.

This topic was started to focus on the Film Federation of India and their lackluster selections to represent India at the Oscars.

@Jamanista: The jury that judges Foreign Films are not the same groups of individuals who judge the domestic films. I agree, the American nominations and awards for domestic films at the Oscars have been iffy as of late. No doubt.

-Aakash