In a surprising move today, ‘Gully Boy’ has been selected to represent India in the Foreign Films category at the Oscars. Now whether or not it is selected as a nomination, that’s another story.
To be fair, it’s not as surprising as choosing ‘Paheli’ or ‘Barfi!’ as India’s selection, but ‘Gully Boy’ is a commercial film that might or might not bear a resemblance to another Oscar-nominated film, ‘8 Mile’, though it is based on the lives of two Mumbai rappers, Naezy and Divine. It might be like deja-vu for members of the academy, the people who decide which films go through.
Out of the 27 films that were being considered including ‘Dear Comrade’, ‘Andhadhun’, ‘Uri’, ‘Super Deluxe’ and ‘Article 15’, ‘Gully Boy’ was picked as the official selection.
Since ‘Andhadhun’ is the remake of another foreign film, how can it be sent as an Indian film? Similarly, like ‘Barfi!’ was being considered when it was actually a copy of many foreign films. ‘Gully Boy’ was probably chosen based on its mainstream appeal as compared to the other films, it might appeal to members of the academy. If you have seen ‘Roma’, you would know what we are trying to say. Even though it was in a foreign language, it was a film that appealed to everyone.
When this news came out, you would think that the film has actually been nominated. It’s just a selection and bear in mind that so far only Mehboob Khan’s Mother India (1957), Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! (1988), and Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan (2001) have officially been nominated at the Oscars. So, there’s still a long way to go and lots of competition to fight from South Korea (Parasite), Japan (Weathering With You), Iran (Finding Farideh) and so on.
For now, everyone is happy, including Aloo’s papa:
Wait, isn’t his favorite film ‘Kalank’?
The film’s leads and director have released their statement following this news:
Ranveer Singh
Gully Boy echoed the voice of the streets. It will always be one of my most personal films. As always, I will keep striving towards making the flag of Hindi cinema fly high. I am very happy that the passionate hard work that our cast and crew put into creating Gully Boy is reaping rewards.
It’s a proud moment for our entire team. I am especially proud of and happy for Zoya! Gully Boy is her (Tiger) baby, and I am blessed to have been a part of her maverick vision. With the love and support of our beloved audience, we are hoping to make a significant mark on the world stage.
Alia Bhatt
Gully Boy as a film is really special to me. What’s even more special is that it has had such a long run after releasing in February. It won at the Melbourne Film Festival and then it was also shown in Japan. Now, it’s been selected as India’s official entry for the Academy. So, hereon, I just hope, pray and wish that we make it to the nomination and then win. This is a first and it’s a big deal for us. As a team, we are very excited.
Zoya Akhtar
We are so thrilled that Gully Boy has been selected as India’s official entry to the 92nd Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. Thank you to the Film Federation of India, Supran Sen, Aparna Sen and a big congratulations to our spectacular cast and crew.
Good luck to the team of ‘Gully Boy’!
