Oscar 2025:The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlist for the 97th Academy Awards, with five Indian films making it to the coveted list of 232 contenders. However, Kiran Rao’s Lapata Ladies has been excluded from the race.
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Oscar 2025: Five Indian Films Make the Cut
This year, the Indian entries that have been shortlisted include:
- Kanguva
- All We Imagine As Light
- Girls Will Be Girls
- Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life
- Swatantrya Veer Savarkar
Notably, some of the Indian entries, like Kanguva, performed poorly at the box office but have still earned their spot on the international stage.
Oscar 2025: Final Nominations Through Voting
The final nominations for the Oscars will be decided through voting, which begins on January 8 and concludes on January 12. The Academy will unveil the official list of nominees on January 17.
Oscar 2025: Kanguva: A Box Office Flop, but an Oscar Contender
Despite its underwhelming performance at the box office, Kanguva, made on a staggering budget of ₹350 crore, has secured a place on the Oscar shortlist. The film, starring Suriya, Disha Patani, and Bobby Deol, managed to earn only ₹100 crore domestically before finding a larger audience through its streaming release on Amazon Prime.
Randeep Hooda’s historical drama Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, released on March 22, 2024, has also made it to the Oscars shortlist. The film, based on the life of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, has been surrounded by controversy since its release.
Oscar 2025: All We Imagine As Light: From Cannes to Oscars
Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, previously nominated in the Best Non-English Film category at the Golden Globes, has now made it to the Oscars shortlist. Although it missed out on the Golden Globe award, the film has been lauded internationally, winning accolades at the Cannes Film Festival.
Oscar 2025: Lapata Ladies Fails to Make the Shortlist
Directed by Kiran Rao, Lapata Ladies had been India’s official entry for the Oscars. However, the film did not make it to the final shortlist of 232 films. The Film Federation of India’s 13-member selection jury had chosen Lapata Ladies over other notable films, but it ultimately fell short in the Academy’s evaluation.
Other Indian Contenders in the Race
A total of 29 Indian films, including Hanuman Man, Kalki 2898 AD, Animal, Chandu Champion, and Sam Bahadur, were initially vying for Oscar consideration. However, the final shortlist features only five Indian films.
