Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas has been chosen as the country’s official entry to the 75th Annual Academy Awards next April. A 16-member committee of the Film Federation of India selected the extravagant take on the classic Saratchandra Chatterjee novel over Rajkumar Santoshi’s The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and Mani Ratnam’s Kannathil Muthamittal.Producer Bharat Shah said: ‘‘We created quite a splash in the US when we released Devdas there. Now we’re going to go the whole hog. We feel it has the power to appeal to a global audience.’’Shah, happy his pet production has made the grade, said he’s hopeful the film will bag an Oscar. ‘‘The competition is tough. But there’s a lot of attention on Indian. Lagaan paved the way. Hopefully Devdas will benefit from Aamir Khan’s efforts.’’
