And the Oscar goes to... mediocrity!

And the Oscar goes to... mediocrity!: "Who will decide today which film gets to represent India at the Oscars? Before you jump to answer ‘The Film Federation of India’, ask yourself this: Do you know who’s on the panel?

The FFI, headed by chairman Harmesh Malhotra, comprises members from Association of Motion Pictures & TV Programme Producers of India and the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association.

Vinod Pandey (Ek Baar Phir, Sins), Jagdish Sharma (Devta, Sapoot, Bhishma) and producer/ Super Cinema editor Vikas Mohan are some of its luminaries.

Even top directors like Yash Chopra and Madhur Bhandarkar have no clue who gets to take a call on their work. Chopra said, “I don’t know who is on the selection board. I’m not aware of the selection process either. I don’t rate Veer Zaara’s chances.”

Critic-turned-director Khalid Mohammed said, “Harmesh is a sweet person but I don’t think that he is clued in on cinema. Maybe he is, but from what he has made so far, I don’t think so.”

“We need to have an all-India body. There is too much focus on Mumbai, and regional films are often ignored. There should be a rethink on the selection panel and process. I have no idea how FFI is set up.

It’s all very arbitral. We need people from all over the country who know world cinema,” he added. And what about Vikas Mohan and Vinod Pandey? “No comment,” said Mohammed.

Bhandarkar said, “I have no clue that who is taking the call. I have been running around since the Preetii Jaiin controversy resurfaced.” When Mid Day told him the names, he refrained commenting on their credibility, and simply said, “How can I pass judgment on others?”

Malhotra said, “We have yet to see three films — Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi and two Tamil films. We may finish seeing them tomorrow. If so, we will announce the official entry by Monday evening. If not, we’ll keep the decision for Tuesday. If the choice is not unanimous, we will have a vote.”

Films

A few of the other movies that FFI is scrutinising this year are Paheli, Parineeta, The Rising, Grahanam (Telugu), Anniyan (Tamil), Achuvaante Anna (Malyalam) and Uttrayan (Marathi).

Shwaas
India’s official entry to the Oscars in 2005 for the Best Foreign Film category