Opinion | No More Bollywood Monopoly: India’s Oscar Choices Signal A New Era

But somewhere around the last 10 years, this trend has begun to change, as more and more films have begun to feature from what was earlier somewhat patronizingly called ‘regional cinema’. If we track India’s entries since 2014, we realise that out of the 10 films sent, only 4 (including this year’s) have been Hindi films and out of them, only one was made by a mainstream Bollywood director, Zoya Akhtar. This selection trend seems to be working on changing the very settings of what is Indian cinema, especially on the global stage.

In 2020, India’s entry for the Oscars was Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Malayalam film Jallikattu. It was not a typical Indian movie; its plot revolved around a buffalo that dodged the butcher’s knife only to plunge a small Kerala village into madness. With a critics’ score of 96 per cent on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the selection of Jallikattu as India’s entry revealed a shift in perspective among Indian selectors. Just the year before, they had sent the commercially successful Gully Boy—a remarkable exploration of Indian street rap—to the Oscars.

In 2021, the Tamil film Koozhangal (Pebbles) was India’s official Oscar entry. Directed by debutant P.S. Vinothraj, Koozhangal tells the story of a violent, abusive father whose feelings towards his family change over the course of a day as he travels with his young son to fetch his estranged wife. The film was widely praised by critics across the world for its themes, treatment, and cinematography, and for how it achieved all this within the constraints of a small-budget indie film.

Pan Nalin’s Gujarati film Chhello Show (Last Film Show) was India’s selection for the Oscars in 2022. Drawing on elements of personal experience, Nalin delighted audiences with the story of a young boy in rural Gujarat who loves watching films—even if it means befriending a projectionist. Chhello Show also made history by entering the Oscar shortlist, becoming the first Indian film to do so since Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan. Of course, Lagaan went further by securing a nomination for Best International Feature Film, something only two other Indian films have achieved since 1957 with Mother India and Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay.

Jude Anthany Joseph’s 18—Everybody Is A Hero became India’s official entry in 2023. Set during the devastating Kerala floods of 2018, it examines a natural calamity from an individual perspective, showing how lives are changed irrevocably, never to return to their original relational context. The movie was also a commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film with earnings exceeding Rs 200 crore.

Although this year’s stronger contenders included Cannes Grand Prix winner All We Imagine As Light by Payal Kapadia and Anand Ekarshi’s National Award-winning Aattam, the selection committee chose Laapataa Ladies. This Hindi film stands out not only for being a rare choice in the language but also for its modest budget and lack of big stars. Although Laapataa Ladies is a Jio Studios and Aamir Khan Productions film, it has the sensibility of a small film. Set in the fictional state of Nirmal Pradesh, it tells the comedic tale of two marriage parties that briefly cross paths on a train, leading to a bride-swap. The film offers a light-hearted, subtle take on the traditional ghoonghat (veil) custom in rural north India.

There is no doubt that debates will continue over which film best represents the world’s most populous and diverse nation, but if the choices of recent decades are any indication, it appears we are finally getting rid of Bollywood’s hegemony over Indian cinema.

Prof Dhiraj Singh is Associate Dean & Director, Dadasaheb Phalke International Film School and Department of Media & Communication at MIT-World Peace University, Pune. He is also a columnist, writer and documentary filmmaker. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.