If you have been following the latest news you would come to know that India has finally picked its Oscar entry for the year of 2006. There were many contenders for this position, but a decision had to be made and what a decision they made! Rang De Basanti is the official Indian entry to the Oscars. Deepa Mehta’s Water has also been selected by Canada for their entry. It doesn’t stop there. Earlier this week another movie hopped on board. With the mammoth response to Lago Raho Munnabhai via emails, letters, phone calls and text messages, Vidhu Vinod Chopra has decided to enter Lago Raho Munnabhai as an independent entry to the Oscars.
So that makes three Indian movies going to the Oscars this year.
But in all reality, why are we making such a big deal out of this? Bollywood is a thriving industry, spurning out a colossal 800 films a year! The amount of reach, fame and glamour we have cannot be matched by any other industry, anywhere. So why do we place such importance and emphasis on India winning an Oscar?
We have our own awards and we should be proud of them. Why are we constantly running to America or England to make ourselves feel noticed? Will winning the Oscar make Rang De Basanti a better film? More critically acclaimed? As Indians we should not place much importance on the Oscars, as if it is a major breakthrough in our industry!
If we had nominated an American Movie at the Filmfare Awards, do you honestly feel American’s would care? Would they even bother attending? I think you and I both know the answer to that one folks.
It’s about time Bollywood stops caring about these “awards” abroad. What we have here is not to be found anywhere else in the world, yet we want to change ourselves to match the world. Bollywood movies do not need an Oscar or a Golden Globe Award. For us our most prestigious awards should be the awards we receive back home. Who better to recognize our talent and achievements then our own country?
