Did 'All We Imagine As Light' have better chance for Oscars?

When Payal Kapadiarsquos lsquoAll We Imagine As Lightrsquo emerged victorious at Cannes 2024 winning the Grand Prix it seemed like a no brainer that the film would be selected as Indiarsquos official entry for Oscars The independent film ended Indiarsquos 30year dud phase at Cannes by winning one of the top honours of the prestigious festival The film which also received a standing ovation was heavily praised by cinema lovers from across the world and hence establishing the worldly appeal of the movie set in India However the Film Federation of India opted to go ahead with Kiran Raorsquos muchacclaimed film lsquoLaapataa Ladiesrsquo as Indiarsquos official entry for Oscars This led to divided reactions from movie lovers in India after the federation snubbed All We Imagine As LightBefore we dive into whether India had better options than Laapataa Ladies or not for the Oscars herersquos taking a look at the decisionmaking process that went behind selecting the muchloved film for the OscarsA 13member selection committee was formed to select Indiarsquos official entry for the Oscars Now it is a mammoth task to achieve as the country annually produces over 1000 films The committee narrowed down to 29 films across various languages in the country The films that were in contention were Telugu films like HanuMan Kalki 2898 AD Mangalavaaran Tamil films Kottukkaali Maharaja Jigarthanda Double X Thangalaan Jama Vaazhai Malayalam films Aattam Ullozhukku Aadujeevitham All We Imagine As Light Hindi films Laapataa Ladies Chhota Bheem and the curse of Damyaan Kill Animal Srikanth Chandu Champion Sam Bahadur Maidaan Swantatrya Veer Savarkar Article 370 Odia film Aabha Marathi films Ghaath Gharat GanpatiDid Payal Kapadiarsquos past tiff with FTII sway the decision against her favourThe political climate of India comes to fore when one thinks of possible reasons for Kapadiarsquos film not getting selected Payal Kapadia was branded an antinational for leading the protest against Gajendra Chauhans appointment as FTII head back in 2015 when she was a student at the institute She was at the forefront of the fourmonth protest against the appointment of Chauhan as the chairperson of the Film and Television Institute of India This was termed as the longest protest seen on the campus of FTII Kapadia along with other fellow students of the prestigious institute also boycotted classes while questioning Chauhans capabilities to hold the office of the chairpersonLyricist and comedian Varun Grover took to X to ponder over the same ldquoI mean it was expected that the chaaploos mandali who canrsquot even write a citation with any attention to detail or meaning will never select a film by someone who has questioned their authority And itrsquos still heartbreaking We rarely get such a strong contender as AWIALrdquo he said without mincing his wordsIn the same thread he expressed his excitement for filmmaker Rao as she begins her Oscars journey ldquoAt the same time happy for Kiran Rao and her team They made a sensitive progressive rooted film told beautifully through a new set of actors and a hatespeecher and totally deserve a shot at glory Best wishes to them Jai HoThe monetary and other aspect of campaigning for OscarsldquoSubmitting a film for the Oscars is not just about the film being good but also whether the producers have the funds desire knowhow contacts to mount the hugely expensive Oscar campaign laapaataladies is the perfect choicerdquo tweeted national awardwinning film critic Baradwaj Rangan soon after a debate on Indiarsquos official entry ensued on social mediaThe Oscar campaigning ahead of the nomination announcement can be an expensive process This is where Laapataa Ladies has an advantage as the film has backing by Jio Studios owned by the countrys richest man Mukesh Ambani The film also has the backing and visibility that superstar Aamir Khan can provide His production Lagaan had earlier made it to the nominations under the International Feature Film categoryHowever when it comes to international recognition All We Imagine As Light already has an upper hand Winning the Grand Prix is no mean feat The Zone of Interest winner of 2023 Grand Prix eventually went on to win the Oscars in the International Feature Film categoryKapadiarsquos film is also in the process of being one of the most widely distributed Indian indie films of all time Deals are in place for the US UK and France mdash the three countries with the highest numbers of Academy voters The film had also made it to Frances Oscars shortlist before they opted to send Jacques Audiardrsquos Emilia PerezWhat the FFI said while choosing Laapataa Ladies for OscarsThe FFI said in its citation ldquoIndian women are a strange mixture of submission and dominance Welldefined powerful characters in one world lsquoLaapataa Ladiesrsquo Hindi captures this diversity perfectly though in a semiidyllic world and in a tongueincheek way It shows you that women can happily desire to be homemakers as well as rebel and be entrepreneurially inclined A story that can simultaneously be seen as one that needs change and one that can bring about change lsquoLaapataa Ladiesrsquo Hindi is a film that can engage entertain and make sense not just to women in India but universally as wellrdquo