Amazing Indian Film Is The UK’s Oscar Entry This Year

UK has submitted a Hindi-language film featuring an Indian cast for the Oscars 2025, which is quite remarkable.

Directed by British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, this crime thriller explores the narrative of a newly widowed woman who finds herself entangled in the investigation surrounding the murder of a young girl.

New Delhi: The British Academy’s entry of a Hindi-language film featuring an Indian cast into the Oscars’ international feature film category has elicited responses, including from Indian parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor.

‘Santosh’ is a notable crime thriller directed by British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, who hails from England. The narrative centres on a recently widowed woman, portrayed by actress Shahana Goswami, who finds herself entangled in the inquiry surrounding the murder of a young girl.

The majority of the film’s scenes were captured in and around Lucknow, India. It will be in competition with Kiran Rao’s ‘Laapataa Ladies’, which represents India at the Oscars.

For a film to qualify as an international feature film at the Oscars, it must be a feature-length motion picture (exceeding 40 minutes) produced outside the United States and contain predominantly (over 50 percent) non-English dialogue. The film selected from the country must have its initial release in the country of origin.

Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor described the UK’s submission of a Hindi film set in India as “utterly astonishing” in a statement on ‘X’.

Filmmakers have expressed their support for Suri, who is recognised for her earlier documentaries ‘I for India’ (2005) and ‘Around India with a Movie Camera’ (2018), in addition to the Toronto-winning and BAFTA-nominated fiction short ‘The Field’ (2018).

The film left a significant impression on me during my viewing at the Toronto International Film Festival 2024. The intensity of emotions that Santhosh evoked in me left me unable to recover for hours. I express genuine happiness for director Sandhya Suri and her team.

In May, ‘Santosh’ made its debut at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, featured in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ section.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is set to reveal its 2025 Oscar shortlist, which will include contenders for the best international feature category, on 17 December. The announcement of Oscar nominations is scheduled for January 2025.

Each country is permitted to submit only one film for consideration as the official selection. Historically, three films originating from the UK have received nominations for the Oscar. This year marked a significant achievement for the country, as Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama ‘The Zone of Interest’ secured the Oscar for best international feature film, representing a notable milestone in its cinematic history.