India’s official entry to Oscars 2025 (Laapataa Ladies) lost the race quite early in the game but nine movies with Indian connection are still in contention for the most prestigious awards in the world of cinema. Seven Indian films have been listed among Oscar qualifying movies and one Hindi film made it to the shortlist for International Feature Film category. Mira Nair’s production Anuja has also been shortlisted in Live Action Short Film category.
Nine Indian Films In Race At Oscars 2025
A total of nine films with Indian connection, including UK’s official entry to the Oscars, are in the race to win Oscars this year in different categories. British production Santosh has made it to the shortlist in Best International Feature Film category and Anuja was shortlisted under Live Action Short Film category. The rest of the films have been named in Oscar’s reminder list comprising hundreds of Oscar-qualifying movies for this year’s nominations.
A total of 323 feature films from across the world have been listed in as Oscar eligible but the fight for the Best Picture nominations will be among 207 films as the category has additional requirements for eligibility.
Qualifying for Best Picture eligibility
According to the rules listed on the Academy’s website, motion pictures must be at least be lengthier than 40 minutes, and must have released in 35mm or 70mm running a minimum of three shows per day in theatres for seven consecutive days. Release in Los Angeles, New York, Bay Area, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Atlanta is essential for the eligibility. It is essential for the producer or distributor of a film to submit an application form for Oscars eligibility, apart from qualifying all other conditions. The Academy also lists several technical specifications for the audio and visual aspects of a film.
The films that are Oscar-contenders and have a connection to India are:
1.Swatantrya Veer Savarkar
Randeep Hooda wrote, directed and acted in the Hindi film ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’.
Randeep Hooda (Kick, Rang Rasiya) turned director for the period drama Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. Set in the pre-Independence, the biopic talks about Savarkar and his role in India’s fight against the British rule. More than a compelling narrative, the film feels like a news bulletin with incidents thrown in to ensure coverage. An able cast including Amit Sial, Rajesh Khera, Brajesh Jha, Mrinal Dutt, and Ankita Lokhande uplifts a film that often becomes overdramatic and choppy.
2. Girls Will Be Girls
Kani Kusruti and Preeti Panigrahi in a still from ‘Girls Will Be Girls’.
Shuchi Talati’s Girls Will Be Girls marks the production debut of Bollywood couple Richa Chadha-Ali Fazal. The film addresses a rare topic – sexuality and coming-of-age of girls. Though it does not ignore the reality, the film focuses on the views, needs and desires of the girls and women in the story instead of dwelling over the expectations of the society, family, or traditions. Kani Kusruti and Preeti Panigrahi play the mother-daughter duo at the center of the story, and they display the vulnerability and emotions apt for the film. It bagged awards at Sundance Film Festival and MAMI Mumbai Film Festival last year.
3.Santosh
Indian actor Shahana Goswami as a cop in the Hindi film ‘Santosh’. (TAHA AHMED METROGRAPH PICTURES)
Sandhya Suri’s Hindi feature film Santosh made it to the shortlist for Best International Feature Film award at Oscars 2025. Set in India’s Uttar Pradesh, the film is a Hindi-language crime drama and features Shahana Goswami as a widow cop. The film bagged awards at National Board of Review, Tokyo FILMeX, British Independant Film Festival, and Seville European Film Festival. Santosh was also nominated in the Prix Un Certain Regard category at Cannes International Film Festival last year and also made it to the nominations at BFI London Film Festival and European Film Awards.
4.Putul
A poster of the Bengali film ‘Putul’.
Written, directed and produced by Indira Dhar, Putul was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024 under Marchu Du Film. The film features Sujan Mukherjee, Tanusree Shankar, Indroneel Mukherjee, and Mumtaz Sorcar. The film is Dhar’s debut as a director and producer. The film has music by Arghyakamal Mitra and Sayan Ganguly.
5.Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life
Indian star Prithviraj on a poster of his Malayalam film ‘Aadujeevitham’.
Blessy has written, directed and produced the film Aadujeevitham which is an adaptation of Benyamin’s 2008 Malayalam novel Aadujeevtiham. It traces the real-life story of a Malayali immigrant labor in the Gulf. The film bagged a few awards at Hollywood Music in Media Awards and the Kerala State Film Awards. The film and the novel faced ban in some Gulf countries.
6.All We Imagine As Light
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 25: Kani Kusruti, Chhaya Kadam, Payal Kapadia and Divya Prabha pose with the … [+]
All We Imagine As Light is an Indo-French co-production and Payal Kapadia has written and directed the film. Kani Kusruti, Chhaya Kadam, and Divya Prabha play important roles in the film. Bagging Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival last year, the film became a critics’ favorite worldwide. Many industry experts believed it could have been a good choice but All We Imagine As Light failed to make it as the official entry for India at the Oscars. The film won several awards including New York Film Critics Circle, and National Board of Review. It also bagged two nominations at the Golden Globe and is among the best contenders for Best Picture at the Academy Awards 2025.
7.Band of Maharajas
A poster of Girish Malik’s film ‘Band of Maharajas’.
Girish Malik (Jal, Torbaaz) has directed the Indian Film Band of Maharajas featuring Shraddha Pandey, Arun Bajwa and Kuwarjeet Chopraa.
8.Kanguva
A poster of ‘Kanguva A Mighty Valiant Saga’.
Featuring Suriya in the lead role, Kanguva marks the Tamil debut of Bollywood stars Bobby Deol (Animal) and Disha Patani (Kalki 2898 AD). Siva has directed the film which had a decent opening but was soon criticized for the high-decibel audio. Such was the criticism that the film was re-edited and new version was run in theatres. Starring KS Ravikumar, Yogi Babu and Redin Kingsley, Kanguva is about the struggle of a tribal warrior to save his people.
9.Anuja
A poster of Mira Nair’s production, the short film ‘Anuja’.
Produced by Mira Nair, Anuja is now being backed by two big Indian producers – Guneet Monga and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. The short film, set in the Indian capital city of Delhi, is directed by Adam J Graves and Suchitra Mattai. It has been shortlisted for the Live Action Short Film category.
Upcoming In Academy Awards Race 2025
The Academy was set to announce Oscar 2025 nominations on January 17. According to a report in The Variety, the voting and nominations have been shifted to January 19 because of the California wildfires. The award ceremony will be held at a live event on March 2.
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