Is India's Oscar dream far-fetched?

Mother India

Way before he received the Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, Satyajit Ray said in the early 70s that, “Indian films in general cannot compete for Oscars because of their substandard qualities”. Many Indian filmmakers may not agree to this. However a connoisseur of cinema will certainly agree with Satyajit Ray. Earlier, ‘Mother India’ (1957) missed the coveted prize by a point while ‘Lagaan’ (2000) could not win the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars by a few points. A research conducted by the Academy of Motion Pictures later concluded that ‘Mother India’ did not deserve the credit points it actually received.

When Chetan Anand’s ‘Aakhri Khat’ (1966) was sent for the Oscars, the print arrived later than the last date for nominations. The Indian government also took a lethargic decision regarding the film. The Academy officially did declare in a certificate to Chetan Anand that ‘Aakhri Khat’ truly was India’s first film having the standards to compete for the Oscars. This brings us to the famous notion of how due to its unnecessary length, commercial compromises and box office gimmicks, Indian mainstream cinema can never match international standards. Middle and parallel films generally are either pretentious or too monotonous in India.

According to Goutam Ghose, “Oscars are mainly awards for Hollywood and British-based cinema. Yet, the foreign language category film is also important at the Oscars. In 2013, I was the chairman of the Film Federation of India’s committee to select India’s entry for the Oscars. I suggested there should be at least four different Indian films in various languages to compete for the Oscars. Else, there is no point in sending films there.”

Shekhar Kapur echoes Ghose’s thoughts. He says, ”My ‘Elizabeth’ (1998) missed an Oscar. It was an English production. Our films, with the exception of the works of Satyajit Ray, really don’t match international standards.”

This year the dance song ‘Naatu naatu’ from ‘RRR’ is the first example of an Indian original score winning the coveted Golden Globe. Though the Indian film industry is in raptures over the achievement, there is criticism too. Many serious cinephiles feel the song is overrated. The debates will carry on.

The language of cinema is unknown to the majority of our directors. It is not without reason, Adoor Gopalakrishan comments, “Why I always refer to Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen is for the simple reason that their works showcase the best of cine language as far as Indian is concerned.”

The ethos of classical cinema is never visible in a ‘Sholay’ (1975) or even a ‘Pyaasa’ (1957) or ‘Anuradha’ (1960). You get the essence of a classic while viewing a ‘Teen Kanya’ (1961), ‘Ajantrik’ (1958) or a ‘Calcutta 71’ (1971). That’s why, the likes of David Lean, John Huston and Martin Scorsese rave about Ray’s works. The Academy of Motion Pictures took the responsibility to preserve and restore Ray’s masterpieces.

Bhanu Athaiya credited her Oscar for best costumes in ‘Gandhi’ to director Richard Attenborough. She did say, the X-ray eyes of the master director of ‘A Bridge To Far’ (1977) and ‘Cry Freedom’ (1987) did coax her into designing the right sartorial outfits. How many Indian directors even now can match such standards?

Even if ‘RRR’ wins an Oscar, it can never be termed an evergreen film that has true international standards. Steven Spielberg is certainly not flattered when director SS Rajamouli terms him a God. He surely remembers his technical excellence receiving praise from Ray. The Indian Oscar dream is a far-fetched one.