Six Indian Films Are Now In The Oscar Race For Best Picture

The race for the 2025 Oscars has begun. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences released a list of 324 films eligible for the best picture category today. The list sparked excitement among Indian film enthusiasts, since six Indian films have made through the list.

Even though the anticipated Indian entry Laapataa Ladies was kicked out of the Oscar race under the Best International Feature Film category, the eligible list released today offers hope for the country.

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Not one but multiple films from the country have made it to the eligible list for the best picture trophy. And here is the list:

Kanguva (Tamil)

A still from Kanguva.

Directed by Siruthai Siva, the pan-India film Kanguva turned out to be a box-office failure. Despite being one of the most anticipated films of 2024, and featuring Suriya in a double role, the epic fantasy action was a massive failure and disappointment. With an Oscar nomination, netizens were quick to launch a series of memes at the surprise decision. Despite being one of the most expensive Indian films ever made with a budget of Rs 300-350 crore, it only earned Rs 106 crore at the box office.

Cast: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Karthi, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Mansoor Ali Khan, and others.

Girls Will Be Girls (English-Hindi)

A still from Girls Will Be Girls.

Shuchi Talati’s Girls Will Be Girls which won two prizes at the Sundance Film Festival released on Prime Video on December 18. Set in a quaint hillside town, the coming-of-age story explores a complex mother-daughter relationship and middle-age loneliness. The film received accolades for exemplary writing and performances by Preeti Panigrahi and Kani Kusruti.

Cast: Preeti Panigrahi, Kani Kusruti, Kesav Binoy Kiron, Kajol Chugh, Jitin Gulati and Devika Shahani.

Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life (Malayalam)

A still from The Goat Life.

Directed by Blessy, the Malayalam survival drama has won nine Kerala state awards, including Best Actor and Best Director. Adapted from Benyamin’s 2008 best-selling Malayalam novel Aadujeevitham, the film recounts the true story of Najeeb, a Malayali immigrant labourer among thousands of Indians who were subjected to forced labour in Saudi Arabia as goatherds on remote desert farms.

Cast: Prithviraj, Jimmy Jean-Louis, K R Gokul, Talib Al Balushi, Amala Paul, Akef Najem, Rik Aby, and Shobha Mohan.

All We Imagine As Light (Malayalam-Hindi)

A still from All We Imagine As Light.

Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light made records on the global stage. Creating history, the French-India collaboration won the prestigious Grand Prix Award, becoming the first Indian film at the Cannes International Film Festival since 1994. It was also named best international feature film at a series of film festivals. The film is now competing independently at the Oscars nomination and bagged two Golden Globe nominations.

Cast: Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon, and Azees Nedumangad.

Putul (Bengali)

A still from Putul.

Directed and produced by Indira Dhar, Putul made history by becoming the the first Bengali film to be considered for nomination for an Oscar. The film’s inclusion among 207 films from around the world vying for a nomination marks a significant milestone for Bengali cinema, since it is the first time a Bengali film has reached this prestigious stage at the Oscars.

Cast: Tanusree Shankar, Mumtaz Sorcar, sujan Mukherjee, Koneenica Banerjee, Papia Rao

Swatantrya Veer Savarkar (Hindi)

A still from Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.

Directed, co-written, and co-produced by Randeep Hooda, the biographical film about the life of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar stars Hooda as the titular character. The film follows Savarkar’s life from his childhood to key events that shaped his life. The film received severe backlash and criticism for allegedly portraying a one-sided narrative and distorting historical facts while showing the controversial figure in a highly reverential light.

Cast: Randeep Hooda, Ankita Lokhande, Rajesh Khera, Amit Sial, Mark Bennington, Mrinal Dutt, and others.

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These Indian films will be competing each other and with some of the highest-grossing movies of the year including Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, Moana 2, Despicable Me 4 and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in the Best Picture category, alongside critically-acclaimed fare like Babygirl, A Different Man and I’m Still Here.