No sooner had two songs from Malayalam block buster Pulimurugan got featured in the list of 70 songs eligible for Oscar nomination in the ‘original score’ category, than the Malayali audience went gaga over it on social media.
However, award winning director Dr. Biju, in a Facebook post, indirectly criticised news reports that appeared in a section of media, which claimed the Oscar 'nomination' for songs from Pulimurugan.
He began his his post saying, quite often media publish or provide misleading information about the Oscars. He wrote, “Those movies which are not produced in the English language are usually considered in the ‘foreign language’ category. Every other country except America can submit one entry in this category every year.
“In India a 15-member jury appointed by the Film Federation of India selects the movie which is supposed to be sent to the Oscars. This year the movie that selected for Oscar race was Newton. Similarly about 100 different countries from around the globe submit a movie each. This makes the ‘long list’,” he wrote.
“It is not an Oscar nomination. This is just a list which features those movies which are eligible to be considered for an Oscar nomination.” He pointed out that Malayalam movies like Guru and Adaminte Makan Abu had been sent as India’s entries to the Oscars in the past,” he wrote.
Biju said that 9 out of the 100 entries will be shortlisted in the initial stage before actually nominating 5 among them for the real Oscar race, and finally one of the five nominated movies will go on to win the Oscar for the best movie in a foreign language category.
“India has been able to get a place in the final nomination only thrice in the past-for Mother India (1957), Salam Bombay (1988) and Lagan (2001). India had never won an Oscar in this category. This is how the movies are nominated for the ‘foreign language’ category,” said Dr. Biju.
The director who helmed critically acclaimed movies like Veetilekkulla Vazhi, Perariyathavar and Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal further explained that those movies which were exhibited in the Los Angeles county for two consecutive weeks could also be submitted to the song, script or any other category except for the ‘best movie in a foreign language’.
“Every movie which fulfills the criteria may be long listed if a prescribed fee is paid. The number of movies thus included in the long list could be fifty, hundred or two hundred. Later, the academy members will vote to select five movies to be nominated for the Oscar award (five for technical awards and five for technicians). This is the real Oscar nomination and one among the five nominated movies/persons will be honored with the Oscar statue. Satyajith Ray is the only Indian film maker who was awarded an honorary Oscar for his contributions to the Indian cinema. (Rasool, Gulzar and Bhanu Athayya did not win Oscars for Indian movies. Those movies were all foreign productions made in the backdrop of India). This is how Oscars are given away every year,” said Dr. Biju.
Dr. Biju is of the opinion that news about Malayalam songs being considered for Oscar has been misleading quite often. He says that the media here usually mistake movies for being nominated for Oscars while they may only get featured in the long list. He said,
“This year’s final nominations will be announced in January and India's hopes of winning in the ‘best movie in a foreign language’ category have be dashed as Newton was dropped from the shortlist of nine films.”