Film enthusiasts in the country are in a state of shock that the recently released Bollywood film ‘Sardar Udham‘ was rejected by the selection committee for India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film Award at the Oscars. The film has received rave reviews from every quarter, critics, audiences, social media users and more. Glowing reviews have been pouring in for the Shoojit Sircar-directed film, as also for star Vicky Kaushal‘s heartfelt performance in the titular role.
Thus, cheers went up when it was revealed that the film is one of the 14 contenders vying to be India’s official entry to the Academy Awards 2022. Most were of the view that the film is the perfect choice to represent the Indian film industry on the prestigious international platform. However, the selection committee thought otherwise. The jury rejected Sardar Udham’s claim to be India’s entry for Best International Feature Film Award. It chose PS Vinothraj’s Tamil film ‘Koozhangal’ instead, for the coveted position.
Fans of Sardar Udham had reconciled with the jury’s decision when the real reason for rejecting Sardar Udham was revealed. That was when all hell broke loose. The reason for rejecting Sardar Udham for the Oscars sent netizens into horrified outrage, and they took to social media to vent their anger.
Apparently, the jury rejected Sardar Udham because they thought it depicted a lot of hatred against the British. Uncaring for the feelings of Indian viewers or for the positive elements of the film, jury member Indraadip Dasgupta revealed, “Sardar Udham is a little lengthy and harps on the Jallianwala Bagh incident. It is an honest effort to make a lavish film on an unsung hero of the Indian freedom struggle. But in the process, it again projects our hatred towards the British. In this era of globalization, it is not fair to hold on to this hatred.”
His statement sent shock waves among the common Indian public. Many were of the view that the atrocities committed by the British were a reality, and the film could not gloss over the facts just to please our past colonial masters.
That the jury thinks this way is itself quite shocking. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre is an extremely painful part of India’s freedom struggle, and we think popular culture must use every opportunity to depict the horrific reality of British brutality, globalization be damned. That the selection committee thinks this way is quite disturbing for the average Indian.
This is not to say that ‘Koozhangal’ aka ‘Pebbles’ is not a good choice. Our grouse is directed at the skewed and utterly sycophantic attitude of the selection committee. In all of the melee, good cinema, and filmmakers who dare to pick up touchy topics are the real losers.