It’s official. This year’s hit Hindi movie Laapataa Ladies, directed by Kiran Rao, will be India’s entry to the Oscars 2025. While fans of the film are excited by the development, this isn’t the first time a movie based in rural India has been submitted to the Academy Awards by the country.
The Oscars are the most hailed awards for cinematic excellence on the global platform. The Academy introduced the ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ as a competitive category in 1956.
India’s journey in this category began with the classic Mother India, directed by Mehboob Khan, which became the country’s first submission for the award. Although it’s said to have missed winning by just one vote, its nomination was a proud moment for Indian cinema on the world stage.
Cut to the present, and on the back of the news about Laapataa Ladies, we bring a list of five films set in rural India that have previously been sent by India to the Oscars.
Mother India (1957)
Mother India is a Hindi film directed by Mehboob Khan. The movie, starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar in the lead roles, tells the story of Radha, a village woman who single-handedly raises her two sons while battling the exploitative practices of the local moneylender.
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One of the highest-grossing films of its time, Mother India has become a cultural classic and a landmark in the history of Indian cinema. Shot in Indian villages to preserve its realism, the film is often listed as a must-see by film critics in India. Mother India was a remake of Mehboob Khan’s earlier film Aurat (1940).
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
Lagaan, an epic sports drama, is set in the fictional village of Champaner in 1893. The plot follows the villagers as they accept a challenge from British officers to play a cricket match to eliminate the land tax (lagaan) imposed by British authorities.
The film was India’s entry to the Oscars in 2002. It was produced by its lead actor, Aamir Khan, who, convinced by director-writer Ashutosh Gowariker, supported him in making the project one of the most expensive films produced in India at the time. Lagaan was filmed on sets built in a real village in Bhuj, located in the Kutch district of Gujarat. It employed some of India’s top professionals across various departments, including costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, the first Indian to win an Academy Award for the 1983 film Gandhi.
Village Rockstars (2017)
Village Rockstars, a 2017 Assamese film made by debut director Rima Das, who also wrote, edited and co-produced this coming-of-age story, is set in a village in the eastern part of India. Village Rockstars follows the story of 10-year-old Dhunu, who lives in the village of Kalardiya in Assam. Despite the hardships and challenges of her life, she dreams of owning a guitar and forming a rock band. The movie was India’s Oscar entry in 2019.
Das is known for creating indigenous, realistic stories using natural elements, minimal equipment and a strong focus on the film’s story and themes.
Also Read: Do ‘reel villages‘ in cinema show real rural India?
Jallikattu (2019)
Jallikattu is a Malayalam action thriller directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, based on the short story Maoist by S. Hareesh. The film stars Antony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sabumon Abdusamad and Santhy Balachandran.
The title of the film is taken from the rural sport played in many parts of Tamil Nadu during Pongal celebrations, where a bull is let loose with a prize of coins tied to its horns, which participants attempt to retrieve. The term ‘jallikattu’ is derived from salli (meaning ‘coins’) and kattu (meaning ‘package’).
The plot revolves around a bull that escapes from a slaughterhouse in a remote hilly village, leading the villagers on a chaotic hunt to capture it. The director masterfully captures the complexities of rural life in multiple dimensions. Though rooted in a rural setting and made as a regional film, Jallikattu achieved commercial success and was selected as India’s official entry for the 2021 Oscars.
Peepli Live (2010)
Peepli Live is a satirical black comedy that shows how the media and political establishment exploit attention-grabbing subjects or TRPs (television rating points), often forgetting the plight of the common man. The film tackles the serious issue of farmer suicides, which spirals into a media circus driven by personal gain. It was India’s entry to the Academy Awards in 2011.
Based in a fictional village called Peepli, Anusha Rizvi’s directorial debut stars Omkar Das Manikpuri as Natha, a struggling farmer and the heart and soul of the film. Acclaimed actor Raghubir Yadav plays Natha’s elder brother, Budhia. The story follows the brothers as they try to save their land, which was seized by the bank after they defaulted on a loan.
Peepli Live poignantly captures their relationship and helplessness as the media frenzy overshadows their real struggles.
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The lead image on top shows a still from Jallikattu, a Malayalam film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery.
