{
  "id": 9312462,
  "title": "Anurag Kashyap says ‘politics’ messes up India’s Oscar selection: ‘We choose wrong films’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/anurag-kashyap-says-politics-messes-up-indias-oscar-selection-we",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-23T10:19:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/anurag-kashyap-politics-messes-up-india-oscar-selection-choose-wrong-films-gondhal-10890391/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent interview, acclaimed filmmaker Anurag Kashyap expressed his frustration with India's approach to Oscar submissions, claiming that \"politics\" often hinders the country's chances of winning the prestigious award. He pointed out that despite numerous films like Homeland and Laapataa Ladies, India has yet to secure a spot in the Best International Feature Film shortlist since Lagaan in 2001. Kashyap bluntly stated, \"Because we select absolutely wrong films.\"\n\nThe filmmaker revealed that even when India had the opportunity to choose \"right\" films like The Lunchbox or All We Imagine As Light, the Film Federation of India (FFI) \"messed it up.\" Kashyap also alleged that both of these films were \"deliberately\" not chosen by the FFI, suggesting that politics played a role in the selection process. He acknowledged the increased competition, stating, \"This year, the competition is really tough. It’s hard this year to beat the international entries for the Oscars.\"\n\nKashyap proposed a potential solution for Indian films to stand a better chance at the Oscars. He emphasized that the most important qualification for eligibility should be that the film has been screened at an international festival outside India or has had American distribution or an American distributor before the year's end. He argued that without international exposure, even significant investments in screenings and advertising would be wasted.\n\nRegarding Gondhal, the Marathi film selected as India's submission, Kashyap stressed the importance of it screening at various international festivals. He advised that following Gondhal's victory at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) should submit it to other international festivals for greater exposure. Kashyap urged the NFDC to take a more active role in this process, as they already attend numerous festivals.\n\nWhen asked about the selection of Gondhal over other potential films like Main Vaapas Aaunga and Angh, Kashyap's jury member Vivek Vaswani explained that the jury was given clear instructions to choose a film that represented Indian culture and tradition with global appeal. He mentioned that Gondhal's unique blend of intrigue, murder, and celebration through music and dance made it a strong candidate. Vaswani also stated that Imtiaz Ali's film Main Vaapas Aaunga was excluded due to its India-Pakistan storyline, which might not resonate with American audiences. Angh received 11 votes, while Gondhal was chosen with 14 votes.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}