Even though nominations will be announced only towards the end of January 2023, you could say that, in a sense, movie history has already been made with the shortlisting of four Indian films at the Oscars: two documentaries and two feature films. The possibilities of an enhanced Indian presence at the Oscars were already indicated with the nomination of the Telugu film RRR in two categories at the Golden Globes. For the first time, an Indian film has been nominated in two categories at those highly prestigious awards. As if to reassure us that this was not a one-off, a few days later, RRR was nominated in five categories at the annual Critics’ Choice Awards. It is also not the case that the shortlisting at the Oscars is for what may be considered lesser categories. Chhello Show, the official Indian entry, is in the Oscar shortlist for the best international feature film category, and Naacho Naacho from RRR for best original song. At the Golden Globes, the RRR nominations are for best picture in the non-English category and best original song in a motion picture. For the Critics’ Choice Awards, SS Rajamouli, who directed RRR, will be going toe to toe with James Cameron for Best Director for Avatar: The Way of Water. Given the number of films India makes each year, which taken as a whole easily surpass Hollywood, it is perhaps surprising that India has not made its presence felt till now. Is it because India has made such excellent films for the first time this year? The suggestion is laughable. Even with the poor quality of several big-budget Bollywood films served up this year, there is no denying the fact that excellent films are made year after year in India, including in Bollywood. This begs an obvious question. Could it be the case that despite t h e Indian film industry’s prodigious output, few Indian films have hitherto been nominated for an Oscar because the selectors often did not consider how an Indian film is likely to be viewed by a foreign, Western audience. When you determine which film to send to the Oscars, you must not only examine its merit through an Indian lens but also consider how a Western audience is likely to respond to it. Is it a coincidence that India’s cinematic success this year, relatively speaking, has happened at a time when India has replaced the United Kingdom as the fifth largest economy in the world in terms of nominal GDP? Is it just a chance that just a few weeks before the Golden Globe nominations, India took over the presidency of the G-20, a grouping of the richest and most powerful nations in the world? Or is it because India’s cinematic prowess has been transmitted to the world through Netflix and other streaming platforms, with Indian films now often available in different languages, including Polish and Swahili? What happens next? Indian documentary filmmaking will receive a much-needed fillip because of the shortlisting of The Elephant Whisperer and All That Breathes. The shortlisting of Chello Show is also significant and will hopefully provide some encouragement to the makers of meaningful cinema in the country. Given the popular American responses, S Rajamouli may even approached by Hollywood studios to make films for them, possibly a super-hero film with an Indian actor in the lead. The two Telugu superstars NT Rama Rao Jr.and Ram Charan could be offered roles of moderate significance in Hollywood productions. Were that to happen, they would leapfrog over the aspirations of Bollywood A-listers, who would ordinarily have considered themselves to have had better chances, being better known at a pan-India level. Why is all of this important? Could it be argued that we don’t need to be patted on the back by the West? Of course, we need to keep our own opinion on what constitutes good cinema, but we also need to recognise that the nomination of Indian films at prestigious international awards functions may bring foreign audiences to Indian cinema, with the commercial benefits that will inevitably follow, at a time when the film industry is facing challenges. Furthermore, cinematic success overseas adds immeasurably to the soft power of our country, just as our classical dances, music, yoga, and Ayurveda do. No one should underestimate the importance of soft power in today’s globalised world, especially if India wants to project itself as a global player.
Rajesh Talwar is the prolific author of 35 books across multiple genres, and has worked for the United Nations for more than two decades across three continents.