Jai Bhim, Marakkar make it to the Oscars submission list
With two Indian films – the controversial Tamil film ‘Jai Bheem’ starring Suriya and Lijomol Jose and Priyadarshan’s Malayalam period drama ‘Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Singham’ (Markar: Lion of the Arabian Sea), Mohan Lal Playing Titanic — on a list of 276 films eligible for this year’s Academy Awards. Voting for the Oscar nominations will begin on January 27, and will run through Tuesday, February 1. The declaration limits the eligibility year to 10 months. Last year, the academy extended it till February 28, 2021, due to the pandemic.
All the predicted Oscar contenders, reports ‘Variety’, are on the list. These include “Being the Ricardos” (Amazon Studios), “Belfast” (Focus Features), “Coda” (Apple Original Films), “Dune” (Warner Bros.), “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures), “House of Gucci”. Are included. ‘ (MGM/United Artists), “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix), “A Quiet Place Part II” (Paramount Pictures), “Spencer” (Neon/Topic Studios), “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Sony Pictures) and West Side Story (20th Century Studios).
Some of the international features from the Oscar shortlist are eligible for Best Picture, in addition to the Best International Feature category, such as Japan’s highly anticipated ‘Drive My Car’, Italy’s ‘The Hand of God’, Iran’s ‘A Hero’. and Norway’s ‘The Worst Person in the World’.
‘Marakkar’ directed by Priyadarshan is one of the most expensive films in the history of Malayalam cinema. It narrates the epic story of Kunjali Marakar IV, a Malabar sea lord and his epic battle against the Portuguese. The film won three National Awards – Best Feature Film, Best Special Effects and Best Costume Design.
‘Jai Bheem’, which raised the hackles of PMK, a political party in Tamil Nadu primarily representing the Vanniyar community, is based on a true incident in 1993, in which former Madras High Court judge K. Including a case fought by Chandru, when he was a lawyer. Sengeni’s wife Rajkannu was behind him in this legal battle.
The only other film to make the cut from South Asia is Bhutan’s Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, a 2019 film directed by Paaw Choying Dorji. It had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival.
The film was selected as the Bhutanese entry for Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but was later disqualified. It was reintroduced as Bhutan’s entry for the 2022 Oscars and was shortlisted for the awards.
Nominations for the 94th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, February 8, according to Variety. The ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 27 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood and will be broadcast on the American network ABC. and in more than 200 regions around the world.
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