Aamir Khan disagrees with Shah Rukh Khan’s assessment about why Indian films struggle at Oscars: ‘It is the toughest category’

Aamir Khan, who is currently promoting Laapataa Ladies for the Oscars, reacted to Shah Rukh Khan's comments about why Indian films struggle to secure nominations.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: December 7, 2024 08:08 PM IST

3 min read

Aamir Khan is promoting Laapataa Ladies.

Actor Aamir Khan’s Lagaan remains the last Indian film to secure a nomination at the Oscars in the Best International Feature category. Back when Lagaan was nominated over two decades ago, the category was known as Best Foreign Language Film. Aamir is vying for another nomination this year, as he promotes the country’s official selection, Laapataa Ladies. The comedy drama is directed by his ex-wife Kiran Rao and produced by him.

In an interview with BBC Asian Network, Aamir expressed his disagreement with his contemporary, Shah Rukh Khan, over why Indian films struggle to generate attention at the Oscars. In an old interview, Shah Rukh had said, “Lagaan was a combination of an art and commercial film together. And it was a wonderfully made film. But we have to change the format of our films. If I’m invited to your party, I need to dress up in the code you tell me to. I cannot be wearing my code of two and a half hours and five songs. We have to change that.”

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Aamir responded, “No, I don’t agree. I don’t agree. Because Lagaan was three hours and 42 minutes. And it had six songs. And it got nominated. To get nominated, the members really have to love your film. Lagaan proves that a film with songs, which is also very long, is not a problem for the Academy members. According to me, it depends on how good your work is, and how you’re able to touch hearts. Members are also human beings at the end of the day.”

Aamir explained that the process of securing an Oscar nomination isn’t as straightforward as one might imagine. He said, “People forget that this is the toughest category at the Oscars. Because when you’re competing for Best Film, you’re competing with a limited number of films. But in the Best International Feature category, you’re actually competing with the best film from each country. Now, let’s look at India. We make 1000 films a year. To be selected from India, you have to first beat 1000 films. People forget that. And then you’re in an arena where there are 80 other films. And to be nominated among 80 films is itself tough. The reason why we don’t have nominations every year for India is because there are films from Iran, from Germany, from France, from all over the world. You’re in very good company.”

Only three Indian films in history have been nominated in the International Feature category – Mother India, Salaam Bombay, and Lagaan. However, there has been an increase in attention on Indian cinema in the last few years, with RRR winning in the Best Original Song category, and Elephant Whisperers winning in the Best Documentary Short category. Additionally, films such as Writing with Fire and All that Breathes scored nods in the Best Documentary Feature category, and this year, films such as Santosh, Girls Will Be Girls and All We Imagine As Light are seen as contenders in a handful of categories.

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