India has been getting due recognition on the global level on the movie front although not in native movies. Indians who have been working in Hollywood with foreign directors were being appreciated and recognized at the events of great importance like the Annual Academy Awards (Oscars), Cannes International Film Festival among others.
In 2008, Rahman and team had made India proud. This year there are 4 films that have the opportunity with the 85th Annual Academy Award nominations.
Lincoln has been associated with 12 nominations this year and it is closely associated with India. Reliance and Dreamworks paired up together with Speilberg for the legendary movie which won the praises of the world.
Life of Pi has a cast dominated by Indians, Suraj Sharma, Irfan Khan and others. Most notably, in this movie by Ang Lee based on a book of the same name which was nominated for the Man Booker prize, the Tamil Lullaby written by Jayashri Ramnath was chosen to be the Best Original Song. Humbled by the honor and speaking the truth, Bombay Jayashri said, "What I wrote is something every mother has on her lips when she cuddles her child," speaking about her song that most beautifully expresses the love of a mother with the simplest of words. The movie is also shot in India for the most part.
Zero Dark Thirty, a movie that documents the life of the most feared terrorist Osama Bin Laden had its final moments filmed in India. Manimajra marker of Chandigarh had its locality disguised as Abbottabad for the final shots of the movie, the place where the Navy SEALS have zeroed in on the house of Osama. The place was completely revamped. Autos had Pakistani registration plates, shops had Urdu signboards and banners.
Anupam Kher though not directly associated with the movie is extremely pleased with his movie Silver Linings Playbook being associated with 8 nominations. Being a part of the crew for the movie is a joy in itself.
The questions posed now are Will these movies win big at the event? Will India continue the trend in the coming years making its name known in global cinema? Can Indian movies have original content of their own that would make it to the Oscars instead of pairing up with Hollywood?
(AW- Anil)
