Tuesday, September 24, 2024

FFI bets on Aamir Khan to get Oscars for Lapaataa Ladies


 Film Federation of India or North India ? . After selection of Laapataa Ladies as India’s official entry for Oscars , the goings on in the jury deliberation shows that the name Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan as producers just did the expected. If you read the shitty citation that FFI jury Chairperson put out ( even jury is misspelt) , you spot from where the mistake that started. “ “Indian women are a strange mixture of submission and dominance. It shows that women can happily desire to be home makers as well as rebel”. Now Ravi Kottarakara President of FFI and represents South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce gives his view on why the film was chosen – The goonghat or the veil that the woman wears and because of this the problem starts according to Ravi is something that is peculiar to Indian woman. He also admits that two bigger films Vaazhai and Thangalaan that came to finals were `too big’ to handle.


So the jury found in LL  the Indianness and the story  is  of a man married to a child bride and her being lost . Coming to the plot, Anant Mahadevan way back in May 2024 said that  that the mix-up and the ghunghatwala (face covered with veil) photo in Laapataa Ladies are straight out of his 1999 film Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol. The endings differ. In Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol, the two women correct the mix-up but realise they have feelings for the other’s partner. The four characters end their marriages, switch partners and tie the knot again.

The point that Jury deliberated was not about whether Payal Kapadia film that won Grand Prix in Cannes was not Indian enough or that Ullozhukku'. , Thangalaan ,Vaazha and Aatam were fit to be India’s entry.  Critic Rangan hit the nail - Submitting a film for the Oscars is not just about the film being good but also whether the producers have the funds / desire / know-how / contacts to mount the hugely expensive Oscar campaign.

Look at all the so called films from South and background of the Production companies. Suriya did an exception as the film Jai Bhim was produced by him and he put it up as a private entry. Now take Payal Kapadia’s film. It needed a Rana to get a theatre in Kochi and then fulfil the Oscar criteria. Beyond that what can Rana do ? The five production companies that are behind Kapadia film seem to have given up on it, at least when  it comes to Oscars. Business wise they have got real solid distributors across the globe. Rana is part of the RRR team and all that is fine but is he a  Aamir Khan ?

Track record of Aamir Khan who is co producer of the film. Earth, Lagaan, rang De Basanti, Tare Zameen Par, Peepli Live were all Iscar entry. Out of this Laagan made it to top 5 in Foreign Film Category. Khan hired a Hollywood promotion agency and took a serious shot at it.

Last year, RRR Producers with SSR- NTR jr- Ram Charan team that had the bucks to do Oscar campaign were overlooked for an arthouse film. It did not make it to final and we know what RRR got. In 2022 , Surya was prepared to spend on Jai Bhim if selected for Oscars but instead Koozhangal an arthouse film was selected. In 2023, we send Malayalam film 2018 and that too sank without a trace. Koozhangal was bought by Nayanthara’s banner and she and hubby did some ground work in USA. Even this year Payal Kapadia film that had Rana Daggubatti from D Rama Naidu family backing and a person who is part of S S Rajamouli team from Baahubali to RRR  , lost out to Aamir Khan.

 

Going by track record – jury decided to correct the mistake . It is why  a North Indian Production House and that too with a Bollywood Star backing  and experienced in handling Oscar ,comes with a film , it will just find it Indian enough for official entry. Oscars. If it is a South  banner with Tollywood  Stars , it will find Indianness in an art house film that too from Gujarat.. Three Cheers to Film Federation of India ( North). Also the jury spared the embarrassment of having to wish Payal a win at Oscars. Read l 

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