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Will 'Water' finally break India's 'Oscars jinx'?

Deepa Mehta's Water has emerged as a strong favourite in the Best Foreign Language Film category, this raising hopes of finally breaking the 'Oscars jinx' for Indian filmmakers.

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NEW DELHI: As the countdown for the Oscars night begins with the coveted awards all set to be unveiled on Monday morning at a glittering function in the United States, Deepa Mehta's Water has emerged as a strong favourite in the Best Foreign Language Film category, this raising hopes of finally breaking the 'Oscars jinx' for Indian filmmakers.

 

On the eve of the Oscars ceremony, the John Abraham, Lisa Ray-starrer about the condition of widows in 1930's India is being considered a hot favourite for the Oscar in Best foreign Language film category along with Pan Labirynth from Mexico.

 

No wonder then, there is tremendous excitement in film circles in India over what they see as another chance for a venture by an Indian filmmaker to bag the Oscars award, which has eluded any Indian film in the over six decade-long history of Indian cinema.

 

This is more so after Rang De Basanti, chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars, failed to reach the final five at the Oscars. Also, though the film secured a nomination at the British Film and Television Academy awards last month, it did not win any award at the BAFTA awards, the winners for which were announced last week.

 

Rang De Basanti was pipped by Mexican film Pan`s Labyrinth to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards (BAFTA) awards in the Best Foreign Language film category.

 

According to Ravi Chopra of B R Films, who has been instrumental in distributing 'Water' in India, 'Water', which bagged an Oscar nomination in the Best foreign Language Film category last month along with Pan's Labrinth (Mexico), After The Wedding (Denmark), Days of Glory and the German Cold War drama The Lives of Others, is a sweet and beautiful film, which, having won accolades and box office success galore in the US, is a strong contender for the Oscar.

 

''Water is a film which has won accolades and box office success galore in the US. In this sense, it is a film that has made India proud in the West and, hence, stands a strong chance to bag the Oscars award in the Best Foreign Language Film category.''

 

Observers may feel that Water making a mark at the prestigious awards is a 'kudos' for Canadian cinema than an achievement for Indian cinema - Water bagged the Oscar nomination as an entry from Canada, and not India; also the Oscars nomination for Water in large part a result of the huge promotional efforts for the film by its Canadian producers - but those in film circles feel that an Oscars nomination for Water can be called a 'Feather in the Cap' for the Indian cinema.

 

Says Chopra about Water, ''A scene that really touched me was the one where Gandhiji is blessing the widows with his favourite song 'Vaishnav Jan Ko Dini Kahiye' playing in the background. In a way the film carries forward the message of Gandhiji to treat all sections of the society with compassion and without any discrimination. Viewed in this context, 'Water' truly reflects the Indian philosophy.''

 

Talking to the media in the Capital last week, Deepa Mehta, while expressing a tinge of regret about the film not being sent from India as an entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category nevertheless acknowledged India's contribution to the making of the film.

 

Acknowledging that the competition in the category was indeed tough, the filmmaker said,'' the films in competition in the Best Foreign Language Film category are all very good films and so Water faces tough competition.''

 

However, whether or not the film finally wins an Oscar, the Oscar nomination for Water is something that will remain really special for Deepa Mehta.

 

''I'm thrilled! It means a lot to me. It's a film that's very personal, and we've had such a difficult time with it, so it feels good,'' Mehta said.

 

''For me winning a nomination at the Oscars is itself a matter of pride. From hereon it does not matter whether or not the film eventually wins the Oscars,'' she said.

 

On chance of Water of winning the coveted Oscar, Canadian producer David Hamilton, who produced the film jointly with Mehta, said, ''It's a pretty competitive year, there's no question about that...  it's going to be interesting.''

 

On some sections saying that Water hurts Indian sensibilities, Chopra said, ''I, after watching the film, did not feel that the film hurts Indian sensibilities in any way. If I had thought so, I would not have taken the decision to release the film In India.''

 

He said B R Films had always believed in supporting good films with a socially relevant theme.

 

''Water' seemed just the kind of films that B R Films has been supporting over the years,'' Chopra said.

 

He expressed confidence that after watching the film, people in India would understand that unnecessary controversy was being made about the film seven years ago.

 

What makes the nomination for 'Water' all the more special and an ample reflection of the film's cinematic excellence is the fact that it has emerged a strong favourite while competing with some great international ventures like 'Pan's Labyrinth' and 'After the wedding'.

 

In fact, 'Water' is also among the few films by a Bollywood filmmaker to secure a theatrical release in the United States and Canada. The film has already brought in 5.6 million dollars at the North American box office after it was played in 150 theaters.

 

Two films by Indian filmmakers winning a nomination on the International cinematic platform makes it a momentous year for Indian cinema as far as Global awards are concerned specially considering that in its over six decade long history, only four films - Mehboob Khan's Mother India (in the 50s), Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay (1988), Ashutosh Gowarikar's Lagaan ( 2001) and Deepa Mehta's Water - have won an Oscars nomination. Also notable is the fact that two of them - 'Lagaan' and 'Water' - in the current decade.

 

Barring Lagaan, none of the films send to the Oscars in the last more than a decade, including Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Parinda (1989), Anjali(1990), Raj Kapoor's Heena (1991), Thevar Magan (1992), Kalpana Lajmi's Rudaali (1993), Muhafiz (1994), Kumdhi Punal (1995), Indian (1996), Guru (1997), Jeans (1998), 1947- Earth (1999) and Hey Ram (2000), Devdas (2003) and Paheli (2005) failed to attract the attention of the academy awards.

 

Infact, the new millennium has seen a renewed excitement and attention in media circles over the exercise of sending films for the Oscars, Golden Globes and the BAFTA, a sea change from the earlier decades when the process of sending entry for the Best Foreign Language film category at the Oscars was nothing more than a "routine exercise".

 

It all started in the year 2001 when Aamir Khan's Lagaan pipped films like Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding, Anil Sharma's Gadar and Santosh Sivan's Asoka to be chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars, eventually making it to the final five of the Oscars.

Lagaan was nominated in the best foreign film category along with films like Amelie (France), No man's land (Bosnia), Eling (Norway) and Son of the Bride (Argentina).

 

Though it eventually lost to Bosnia's No Man's Land, it was, observers opined, largely due to its inordinate length (nearly four hours long) and its anti-British tilt than due to its cinematic merit. This year too has been a path-breaking one for Indian cinema with a host of 'New Age film getting critical acclaim and public response in equal measure and films like Lage Raho Munnabhai, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Dor and Maine Gandhi ko Nahin Maara making rounds of several international film festivals. Infact, Lage Raho Munnabhai became the first Indian film to be screened at the United Nations.

 

Viewed in this regard, hope is still not lost for Indian cinema which could, in the coming years, finally be able to make a mark at the Oscars, BAFTA and the Golden Globes, thus overcoming the long jinx at the Global awards scene.

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