Growing audience for Oscar-nominated films in India: PVR INOX executive director Sanjeev Bijli

New Delhi: The audience response to Oscar-nominated films in India has been consistently growing over the years and access to these films for theatrical release has improved significantly, says Sanjeev Bijli, executive director of PVR INOX Ltd.

Ahead of the 97th Academy Awards, the multiplex chain brought back its annual Oscars Film Festival, which showcases a stellar lineup of Oscar-nominated and award-winning films on the big screen over the course of three weeks in 22 cities and across 54 cinemas.

“We've been doing it every year now for a long time, and the audience reaction has always been very good. As a cinema company, we remain committed to bringing all kinds of films. Over the years, the availability of these films has also become easier,” Bijli told PTI.

The film gala, which commenced on February 21, is screening films like Dune: Part Two, Wicked, Inside Out 2, The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez.

Bijli highlighted the role of PVR INOX Pictures' distribution division, which has played a key role in acquiring award-worthy films at international festivals.

He commended that other players have also contributed to bringing independent films to the country, making the experience more accessible and widespread.

"Earlier, it used to be tough... but now it has become a lot more meaningful and wholesome because all of us have been fed with so much information about these movies since November last year and throughout the award season...

"We kind of consume the news and tidbits about these awards on newspapers and social media now. By the time we do the festival, everyone is very keen to watch these movies. These movies have become so newsy that it really wets the appetite of the consumers to come and watch them at the cinemas," he added.

He gave the example of Conclave, the papal mystery thriller from director Edward Berger. The movie is nominated for eight Academy Awards, including best picture, best actor for Ralph Fiennes and best supporting actress for Isabella Rossellini.

"Conclave, which we distributed, gathered so much momentum over the last three-four months. We've released it recently and it's doing great business. We remain very positive and sanguine that all the other films that we lined up at the festival, which are all nominated, will receive good response," Bijli added.

Bijli also believes that the demographic profile of audiences watching international films in India has diversified over the years.

"I think it's all kinds of people now. So there's no age profile as such. We're seeing that people of all age groups would like to come and watch these movies," he said, while also acknowledging that the base is currently limited to a few cities.

"It's a limited festival because at the end of the day, these are English language films. And in this year's lineup, there's also Emelia Perez, which is in foreign language. Even last year, they had a foreign language, which was Anatomy of a Fall, which did very well.

"I think it's a very discerning customer who has appreciation for this kind of cinema and who comes to watch these films. And, of course, this year we don't even have Oppenheimer and Barbie, which are big studio films because last year was a Hollywood strike," he said.

He noted that most of the films that are nominated at the 2025 Academy Awards are indie projects.

"There are hardly any studio films except for maybe Dune 2. So these films being independent films are probably even more niche than last year. But still I think there is an audience for these films," he added.

The Oscars Film Festival will conclude on March 13.