DNA (September 23, 2015)

Marathi film Court on Wednesday was selected as India's official entry to the Oscars next year. The film was declared the winner of the National Award for Best Feature Film in March this year.

The film revolves around a case of abetment of suicide filed against a 'Lok Shahir' or a ballad singer in a lower court in Mumbai involving legal action against him including those under the controversial UAPA (the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act). The courtroom drama, directed by debut filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane, was released in over 150 screens across India on April 17.

Sambhaji Bhagat, one of the last remaining lok shahirs of Maharashtra's leftist movement, is whom Court's lead character Narayan Kamble is based on. Bhagat was also the music composer, lyricist and singer for the film. Read our interview with Bhagat here- 'Court' compels the audience to think: Protest musician Sambhaji Bhagat

Court -- which is in English, Marathi, Hindi, and Gujarati -- has won 18 international awards, including the Lion of the Future Award for the best first feature at the Italian fest since its premiere at the prestigious Venice Film Festival last September.

The multi-lingual movie was not released in Bengaluru because of its "sensitive, political, and risky" content.