Indian movies used to have infamously awkward subtitles. Thanks to streaming platforms, they are getting a slick makeover
Sonam Joshi (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 16, 2020)

‘Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to many more amazing films,” said Bong Joon Ho, director of the Korean film Parasite. The movie’s sweep at the Oscars has been hailed as a victory over that barrier.

After decades of neglect, subtitles are having a moment. In India, our infamously bad subtitles have inspired memes and parodies. But in the last few years, there has been a sea change in how subtitles are written, because of streaming platforms and new markets. Filmmakers and producers see them as a bridge to a wider audience.

“Subtitling is no longer just the domain of festival films. Now every film releases on a streaming platform sooner or later,” says Mumbai-based subtitler Jahan Singh Bakshi. “The volume of work has increased and the awareness among filmmakers and audiences has gone up. As cinema becomes global, how a film performs depends on how it’s been translated on screen.”

Subtitling is more complicated than literal translation. “It is about how to translate the essence of a dialogue for an English speaking audience,” says Bakshi, who has given Hindi-to-English subtitles for films and series such as Sacred Games, Badhaai Ho and Chhapaak. “You have to take liberties, due to cultural differences and line length. The challenge is to play with language in a way that even if you deviate from the text, you retain the emotion.”

Streaming platforms have clear guidelines for subtitles, with some preferring two or three-line subtitles in a single frame and others wanting their speakers identified.

It is important to understand the cultural context and the audience, says Kochi-based subtitler Vivek Ranjit, who has done Malayalam-to-English subtitles for films such as Angamaly Diaries and Lucifer. “I usually try to find proverbs, idioms and alternatives close to the situation,” he says. For instance, a scene from the film Jomonte Suvisheshangal where actor Dulquer Salmaan is playing dumb charades with Malayalam films was changed to Hollywood films matching his actions. Similarly, Bakshi changed an allusion to the actor Raj Babbar with Al Pacino in Khandaani Shafakhana.

Jokes and songs, which involve wordplay and local nuances, are the most challenging. “For instance, Malayalam lyrics are full of metaphors, and look silly when translated in English,” says Ranjit.

In India, subtitles have contributed to the wide popularity and commercial success of regional films such as Kumbalangi Nights, Charlie, Angamaly Diaries and Lucifer. Chennai’s veteran subtitler Rekhs, who has captioned over 520 films since 2010, says that subtitles are now a priority in the Tamil industry. “Viewers notice, and discern quality,” she says. She credits social media with advocating for better subtitles. Online pages such as Rally for Subtitles in Bengaluru and Mumbai Subtitles Database and ticketing platforms such as BookMyShow have started indicating if a film is playing with subtitles.

“The translation has to be according to the flavour of the movie,” says Rekhs, who has even used emoticons in the subtitles for the Rajinikanth starrer Kabali. “For instance, for a period film such as Bahubali: The Beginning, I used phrases such as ‘did not’ and ‘cannot’ rather than the shortened version can’t and didn’t because it went with the flavour of the film.” Her own team has grown to 12 people, and works on subtitles in Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi, in addition to Tamil.

While some subtitling work is done by experienced professionals, a considerable amount is also handled by bigger companies. This includes subtitling for streaming platforms seeking to expand their audience through content localisation, releasing international titles with Hindi subtitles and dubs.

“It is easier to sell a film when you have subtitles done in multiple languages,” says Jyothi Nayak, SVP, Prime Focus Technologies (PFT). Subtitles are also popular with millennials. “The younger generation is on the go and on their smartphones and prefer the subtitled version,” says Nayak.

“As the OTT revolution picked up in India, the subtitling business has grown exponentially,” says Mohan Naidu, VP, Vista India, whose network of subtitling professionals has grown from a handful to over 500 today. Freelancers working with them earn anywhere from Rs 15,000 to Rs 75,000 working out of their homes, he says. PFT, which provides subtitling services for 13 languages, worked on 40,000 hours of subtitling last year, an increase of 50% as compared to the previous year. It has an in-house team of 350-400 professionals, and recruited 800-900 freelancers last year.

“Earlier subtitles were published from Hindi, regional and international languages to English, but now we see demand for regional language subtitling as well,” Nayak says. The highest demand is for subtitles in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada and Malayalam.

Meanwhile, Rekhs is hopeful that Parasite’s win can also open doors here. “If a Korean film can be selected for the Oscars, so can an Indian film,” she says. “It depends on how it is translated. I’m sure there will be a National Award for subtitles soon.”

Thinkal Menon (BOMBAY TIMES; February 16, 2020)

When South Korean film Parasite swept four major awards at the 92nd Academy Awards, a few Tamil movie buffs took to social media to point out the similarities the movie shared with Tamil film Minsara Kanna, directed by K S Ravikumar and starring Vijay, which was released in 1999. However, when we reached out to Ravikumar, he told us that while he is yet to see the film, he was happy for having come up with an Oscar-winning story 20 years ago. The story of the film was penned by M A Kennady, with Ravikumar writing its screenplay.

But now, things have taken a serious turn. In a strange move, P L Thenappan, who claims to be a producer of Minsara Kanna (KRG, a producer who is no more, is the only credited producer in the film’s titles), says that he is planning to sue the makers of the Bong Joon Ho-film. He said that talks are on with a Chennai-based lawyer and that a decision on zeroing in on an international lawyer will be made in a couple of days. Thenappan says, “I watched Parasite only after the film bagged several Academy Awards. I feel the basic plot has been lifted from our movie.”

When asked about the differences between both the movies, he told us, “Let the court decide it. There have been cases of a few Korean filmmakers suing makers of Tamil films. Let the court look into everything.”

Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; February 11, 2020)

The Academy doesn't vote for a film. It films its vote, as a moral zeitgeist of sorts, to the world at large. Does it always get it right with the choice of Best Film, though? Can't. That it is radiantly dynamic and self-correcting, year after year, is its notable achievement.

By the Academy, we mean the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — of America, with a much wider international membership, lately — that we know for the Oscars it hands out. And that has no Indian equivalent. Why? Never mind; enjoy your pan masala.

Mindful of the annual 'statement' the Academy makes with its top winner, must admit we got our predictions wrong ('Toughest race at the Oscars 2020', mid-day, Feb 8). Although only partly, since Bong Joon-ho and Parasite, as mentioned, were indeed most likely to win Best Director and Best Picture in our books; if Sam Mendes and his 1917 didn't. And the Parasite gongs for Best Original Screenplay (and, of course, Best International Feature) tallied with our list.

That said, what did we miss? That the most relevant/urgent American statement to be made from a global platform such as the Oscars was not much on the price of war (1917), or indeed the rise of authoritarian leaderships (Jojo Rabbit).

By picking up the first non-English film, and the first winner of Best International Feature, as the overall Best Picture, the Academy was making a full speech on acceptance. Even as Joon-ho warmed American hearts with his acceptance speech — doffing his hat to Hollywood contemporaries/greats, including his long-time cheerleader, Quentin Tarantino, in the same room.

Note that the 'best foreign-language' category has been renamed. 'Foreign' replaced with 'international'. Xenophobia, or morbid fear of the foreigner, grips Trump's America, and so many parts of the world, including ours, where humans are being indiscriminately called illegal, based on their religion, or place of birth, while the same blood flows through all.

Tcha, it's a movies award; let's talk movies. Was Bong Joon-ho, of all, the one to set record in the Oscars' 92-year history? What about Bergman, Kurosawa, Fellini, Truffaut, Renoir… What about whataboutery (in general, in life)? Times they're a changin'. As they must. How about cheering for that (always)?

Sure Joon-ho is already Hollywood mainstream, with his last two films, Snowpiercer (2013), and Netflix original Okja (2017), essentially in English, starring Tilda Swinton, among other major American talents. The latter was globally pushed by the US streaming giant more than any film I know.

Is Parasite squarely a win for South Korea then? As an Asian, tempted to believe so — more so as an Indian who's watched more Hindi films that were remakes of Korean movies than from any other language past couple of decades. So what exactly happened with Korean cinema in late '90s that explains its progressive prominence?

The government. Seriously! Post the 1997 East Asian financial crisis, the state stepped in to raise Korea's self-esteem with direct, strong investments in its 'soft power' — K-pop bands, upwards. No, really. That's what's now resulted in Hullya (Chinese term for 'Korean Wave' in pop-culture).

With movies, they banned censorship. They injected funds into a Korean Film Council, spent on film training at universities, and facilitated a full-on film-industry, pretty much from scratch. Joon-ho belongs to the generation that directly benefited from the Nobel Laureate President Kim Dae Jung's (1998-2003) staggeringly rare, liberal cultural vision, and state intervention.

Which is to take away nothing from how universal, in its specificity, Parasite is. That half-basement could be in Bandra's Chapel Road (have seen one), and the beautiful house on Pali Hill, and nothing about the story would change. This isn't always true for cinema from Seoul. It's not an easy society/culture to penetrate.

For all the Oscar gongs, the Academy couldn't find one performance in Parasite worth a nomination. I'd find it to hard to tell as well. Spotting good writing/filmmaking is easier. Joon-ho's Martin Scorsese quote at the Oscars podium was spot-on still: "The most personal is the most creative." Shouldn't matter where it's from — so long as you don't fear those one-inch tall subtitles! And you accept 'the other'. Good call, Academy. Better late than never.

Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; February 8, 2020)

Whether on social media or offline, one of the things I find sorely missing in all conversations on Bong Joon-ho's Parasite is how playfully the picture is plotted. People come out ruminating far more on the intensity of class-divide that the movie strikingly shines a light on. Don't let that bog you down about Bong's film. Which is already in Korean, with English subtitles, picking up an unprecedented six Oscar nominations, including for the Best Foreign Language Film, that it'll certainly take home.

I know how such a résumé intimidates mainstream audiences. Can't reiterate more: Parasite is an out-and-out fun film — to start and end with. Now go catch it, whether or not it wins Best Picture at the Academy Awards on February 9, Sunday night (Monday morning, for Indians).

For, the Oscars is not merely an award. It's a statement that the Academy makes, through the choice of its films, reflecting on the changing world. And the rich-poor divide expressed through Parasite is hardly a statement unique to 2020. What is?

Honestly, Taika Waititi's splendid farce, Jojo Rabbit. It's about a little boy in Hitler's Germany. Unless you've been living under a rock, or in complete denial (same thing), you know what the world is currently grappling with — authoritarian leaderships, pushed to the top by a brainwashed band of cult-worshipping adults, spreading hate against an imagined 'other' that they've been lulled into assuming the worst about. That's Jojo Rabbit, as a film. Will it win? No.

Because it's hard to match the film-making flourish of Sam Mendes in 1917, that remains the most anti-war film, in the history of war films. And God knows we could do with that statement too — now, more than at any time in the recent past. That said, just look at the competition — what a year it's been for Hollywood; or the Oscars, as it were.

In any other year, Todd Phillips's dark, deep Joker would've hoped to gobble up all the top trophies on its own. Probably won't. Even James Mangold's Ford v Ferrari could've been a front-runner, for all you know. Says a lot that the only Best Picture nominee that bored the crap outta me was Greta Gerwig's period piece Little Women (and that too because it just seemed too irrelevant in my buzzing head, that's all).

For a simple example, you only have to compare Guy Ritchie's pure gangster thriller The Gentlemen this year, which is in the sort of domain Quentin Tarantino could lord over in the '90s. Look at where Tarantino is, at present, as an auteur, at the top of his game, with the semi-fictional Once Upon A Time In Hollywood!

Speaking of which, those few who vaguely dismissed Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, because they found it long, or slow or whatever, I'm pretty sure, years down the line, will wonder what the hell they were thinking when the Master delivered his masterpiece. No, it's not Goodfellas or Casino. Mull over the final 30 minutes of The Irishman, and you'll see in it a genre being lifted to meditation on life itself.

No Hollywood studio was willing to touch The Irishman. Netflix pumped money into it. As producer, Netflix has the most nominations at the Oscars this year — Noah Baumbach's gut-wrenching Marriage Story, and Fernando Meirelle's unusually cinematic The Two Popes, being the other toasts for web as the new cinema! Academy ought to reflect this change on its prize-winners' roster.

Will they? Well, the only Oscar that Scorsese ever received was for the Hong Kong adaptation, The Departed (2006). Come on! And I don't even want to go into history and pluck out Orson Welles's Citizen Kane (1941), almost indisputably considered the greatest film in Hollywood history. It didn't win an Oscar. Which film did? How Green Was My Valley. What's that? Never mind. Just feeling better about listing films that should pick up the top awards this year. Won't feel terrible if they don't.

Oscar Predictions

Best Film: 1917
If not, then? Parasite

Best Director: Sam Mendes (1917)
If not, then? Bong Joon-ho (Parasite)

Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
If not, then? Adam Driver (Marriage Story)*

Best Supporting Actor: Joe Pesci (The Irishman)
If not, then? Anthony Hopkins (The Two Popes)

Best Actress: Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story)
If not, then? Charlize Theron (Bombshell)*

Best Supporting Actress: Margot Robbie (Bombshell)
If not, then? Laura Dern (Marriage Story)

Best Original Screenplay: Bong Joon-ho (Parasite)
If not, then? Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Todd Phillips (Joker)
If not, then? Anthony McCarten (The Two Popes)

Director Zoya Akhtar on Gully Boy not making the cut for the Oscars
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; December 20, 2019)

India’s long-cherished Oscar dream was cut short earlier this week when Gully Boy, the country’s official entry for the Best Foreign Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, did not qualify in the top 10 films that advanced to the next round of voting. Heartbreaking as the news may be, director Zoya Akhtar is her pragmatic self as she says, “It is upsetting in the sense that you say, ‘Oh s*** t, it didn’t make it!’ It was disappointing, but what can you do? You move on to your next film.”

A film’s graduation from the long list to the nominations’ scroll of the Oscars is known to be laborious, marked with aggressive lobbying. “We went through the entire process,” says the director, who was stationed in Los Angeles for several weeks as co-producer Ritesh Sidhwani and she hosted multiple screenings of the Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt starrer for critics. “But one doesn’t know how the system works there. The people there are not fully aware either as the system keeps evolving. You have to rely on the publicists to guide you.”

Akhtar, who is gearing up for the release of Netflix’s Ghost Stories, chooses to see the silver lining. “The point is that Gully Boy has been seen by 10,000 American critics. It has opened new doors not only for me, but also for the industry.”

Farhan Akhtar says he only concerns himself with giving the best performance he can in a film
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 29, 2019)

He’s proved his finesse in all departments of filmmaking, be it directing a film like Dil Chahta Hai (2001) which brought in the ‘cool’ factor in modern cinema, acting in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) and hitting the bullseye, or even singing in Rock On!! (2008). Clearly, Farhan Akhtar is yet to find something he can’t do.

Currently working on his next, Toofan, with filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, we ask Farhan if shouldering a film makes things tough for him, and he says, “I don’t see it as any kind of additional pressure. My job is to give the best performance I can in the film. And that is something I think about every single day. I don’t want to wake up in the morning and start thinking about ‘Friday ka box office’! (laughs)”

Toofan will see Farhan step into the shoes of a boxer. And the actor recently revealed on social media that he suffered a hairline fracture during the shoot. How is the experience turning out for him so far? “There’s still some way to go before we complete the shoot. I had a great time working with Rakeysh on Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, and I feel happy and fortunate to be able to collaborate with him on another special script which is equally demanding. The demands of a sports film are completely different. You need discipline for a film like that. I have never boxed before in my life, until I got into this film,” admits the 45-year-old.

He adds that there was a lot of prep that went into this role. “We started prep in March this year, and here we are. Boxing is a very demanding sport — to develop a mindset of a boxer, and the body language athletes have, which you cannot just pretend to have. If you compare a good dancer to a bad one, there’s no way the latter can pretend to be good. Similarly, with boxing, you can’t pretend to be a good boxer, you have to be able to do it,” shares Farhan.

The actor was recently seen in The Sky is Pink, which might have not been able to rock the box office, but did garner him some good reviews. He is happy with whatever the film did, apart from how it gave him a chance to reunite with Priyanka Chopra Jonas. 2019 had another surprise in store for him — his production, Gully Boy, was selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars. Excitement is palpable in his voice as he tells us, “It was an absolutely joy when it was announced. I’m extremely thankful to the film federation that they chose Gully Boy. I’m so happy for Zoya (Akhtar; director and his sister) and everybody associated with that film. We have our work cutout now. The final nominations will be announced in January 2020. Between now and then, we have a lot of work to do. We have to try and get as many people from the Academy to come and watch the film. Only then will we realise how far it is going to go, that’s very crucial.”

MUMBAI MIRROR (November 12, 2019)

Siddhant Chaturvedi shot to fame with his role as MC Sher in Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt’s Gully Boy. But on his recent turn on No Filter Neha, the actor revealed that he had turned down the role and didn’t even audition for it. “I wanted to start with a lead role and Bollywood had enough examples to scare me into believing that the hero’s friend gets typecast. I thought it wasn’t an important character initially,” he admitted sheepishly. Siddhant is glad that he eventually took it up as his performance got him noticed. “After the trailer launch, my parents called me to inform that a journalist had called to ask about me. They were very proud,” he smiled.

Now that his debut film has been selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category, the actor is looking forward to make an appearance on the red carpet in Los Angeles. Does he have a date in mind for the evening? Pat comes the answer, “Emma Watson.” Great expectations indeed for the Sher.

Farhan Akhtar on Gully Boy’s Oscar race, why he couldn’t meet Niren Chaudhary and how life has changed as seen on social media
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 28, 2019)

Two years after Lucknow Central, Farhan Akhtar returns to the screen with The Sky Is Pink, the love story of real-life couple Aditi and Niren Chaudhary spanning a quarter of a century, told through the lens of their terminally ill daughter, Aisha Chaudhary, diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. This story of courage, dignity and grace under immense pressure engaged him instantly.

“Coincidentally, Shonali (Bose, director) came to me just 10 days after I’d watched her last film, Margarita With A Straw,” reminisces the actor who as a parent to daughters Shakya and Akira could relate even more with the script and his character. “Dealing with or having to deal with the impending loss of a child is unimaginable for a parent as it is against the natural order. You don’t want anyone to be in such a situation, least of all yourself. But Shonali’s story is a celebration of life. The family was not living with the fact that Aisha was going away soon, but that she was with them now. A small change in the mindset can make an amazing difference,” he points out.

The film’s philosophy to make each day count reminds one of Rajesh Khanna’s iconic dialogue in Anand, “Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin” and Farhan agrees that it resounds strongly in their film, but that apart, the stories are completely different.

Interestingly, he did not meet Niren Chaudhary on whom his character is modelled before starting the shoot, relying on Shonali and writer Nilesh Maniyar’s research and behind-the-scene footage with the family to formulate his thoughts on how to play him. “Shonali didn’t want the character to become a caricature or impersonation, rather she wanted me to imbibe Niren’s qualities and create my own character,” he explains.

Zaira Wasim who plays his screen daughter, has since quit acting on religious grounds and for Farhan that’s a huge loss to the film industry. “But every individual has the right to decide what they want to do with their life and it’s not for us to say if that’s right or wrong. But purely as someone who’s worked with her, I hope Zaira changes her mind,” he states, admitting that he hasn’t spoken to her after she announced her decision.

Priyanka Chopra whom he’s directed in Don and its sequel, and worked with as an actor in Dil Dhadakne Do, plays his better half in this one. “Our friendship has grown as has our trust in each other as creative people. I’m proud of everything she’s achieved and happy that I’ve been with her in this journey,” he smiles. Quiz him on Don 3 and he sighs, “There’s nothing happening on that front at the moment. We keep running around the same tree.”

The Fukrey franchise is also not going forward as of now, with his production company now focusing on the sequel of the Kannada franchise KGF, the original having released last Christmas. Farhan also confides that five years ago, he’d toyed with the idea of a Dil Chahta Hai reboot with three female characters. “I need to sit down and put it together.”

Meanwhile Gully Boy, directed by sister Zoya Akhtar, is also on its way to the Oscars as Indian’s official entry in the Best Foreign Language category. “It feels good, but there’s still a long way to go. We have to figure out how to make it to the last five or six. We’re pooling our resources, it’s a great opportunity from the film federation,” he admits.

After the 2013 National Awardwinning Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Farhan has reunited with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra for a boxing drama, Toofan. “The journey so far has been really educational, I started as a rank beginner,” he says. Paresh Rawal play his coach. “It’s amazing to work with someone who is constantly lifting and challenging you.”

The latest trend of content scoring over big names at the box-office has enthused the actor-filmmaker who reasons that while stars can get you a big opening, eventually it’s the story that sells. “The star system is here to stay because as a society we idolise heroes. But it can’t only be about star power, you want good films to work regardless of who is acting in them,” explains Farhan, adding that the way we consume entertainment is changing and that could change the kind of stars we look up to.

Of late, Farhan has been pretty open about his lady love, Shibani Dandekar, with the couple posting lovedup pictures from vacations on Instagram. But face-to-face, he is reluctant to discuss his personal life. “You can see on the social media how my life has changed. Life moves on in the way life moves on, and I share things that I’m comfortable sharing,” he concludes.

BOMBAY TIMES (September 23, 2019)

As the news of Zoya Akhtar-directed Gully Boy being selected as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards came, the team of the film erupted in joy and said, Apna Time Aayega, which is also one of the catchiest songs in the movie. The film, starring Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt and Siddhant Chaturvedi, is a story of an up-and-coming rapper, who grows up in a Mumbai slum and makes a mark despite all odds.

Ranveer, who played Muraad in the film, said, “Gully Boy echoed the voice of the streets, it will always be one of my most personal films. As always, I will keep striving towards making the flag of Hindi cinema fly high. I am very happy that the passionate hard work that our cast and crew put into creating Gully Boy is reaping rewards. It’s a proud moment for our entire team. I am especially proud of and happy for Zoya! Gully Boy is her (Tiger) baby, and I am blessed to have been a part of her maverick vision.”

He added, “With the love and support of our beloved audience, we are hoping to make a significant mark on the world stage.”

An elated Alia, who played the feisty Safeena, said, “Gully Boy as a film is really special to me. What’s even more special is that it has had such a long run. After releasing in February, it won at the Melbourne Film Festival, then it was also shown in Japan. Now, it’s been selected as India’s official entry for the Academy Awards. So, hereon, I just hope, pray and wish that we make it to the nomination and then win. This is a first and it’s a big deal for us. As a team, we are very excited.”

Siddhant, who garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of the character MC Sher in the film, declared “apna time aa gaya!” “It is a big moment for me… Gully Boy has been nominated as India’s official entry for the 92nd Academy Awards,” he said.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity given to me and a very special thanks to Zoya Akhtar, Ranveer Singh and the entire team of Gully Boy. Words cannot express my happiness, thank you everyone for the love and appreciation! Apna Time Aa Gaya!” Siddhant exclaimed.

Farhan Akhtar took to Twitter and thanked the Film Federation of India (FFI), which announced Gully Boy as India’s entry to Oscars. “Gully Boy has been selected as India’s official entry to the 92nd Oscar Awards. #apnatimeaayega. Thank you to the film federation and congratulations #Zoya @kagtireema @ritesh_sid @RanveerOfficial @aliaa08 @SiddhantChturvD @kalkikanmani and cast, crew and hip hop crew,” he wrote.

The movie also features Vijay Raaz, Kalki Koechlin, Vijay Varma and Amruta Subhash. Kalki expressed her excitement and tweeted, “Woweeeeeeeee! That is just the best.”

Amruta, who played Murad’s mother Razia, said she is overwhelmed. “My first film Shwaas was also India’s entry to the Oscar and now Gully Boy. I’m so overwhelmed. The film is close to my heart,” she said, adding, “I am thrilled, happy and excited. The subject, the making of the film is so universal. I am sure it will resonate and touch the hearts of everyone. It is great that this film will be representing us.”

Writer Reema Kagti said the team is “thrilled” with the selection. Vijay, whose portrayal of the enterprising Moeen in the film earned him critical acclaim, said getting selected as entry for the Academy Awards is a big deal. “This was unexpected. I am jumping in joy. We are happy that the whole nation has chosen our film and it is very exciting,” the actor said.

THE TIMES OF INDIA (September 22, 2019)

Kolkata: Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy’, featuring Ranveer Singh as an aspiring rapper, has been selected as India’s official entry in the International Feature Film category at the Oscars this year, the Film Federation of India (FFI) announced on Saturday.

Director Aparna Sen, who chaired the jury, made the announcement in Kolkata in presence of other members, who were chosen by the FFI.

“The process was democratic. We took a long time and discussed the films threadbare. Each person was asked to write down three films in order of preference. After that we took a vote; we discussed the films and then we arrived at one film finally, and that is ‘Gully Boy’. The energy of the film was infectious. It will speak to the audience,” Sen said.

Initially, 28 films were in contest. One Gujarati movie, ‘Chaal Jeevi Laiye!’, was disqualified, hence, the number came down to 27. The screenings started in Kolkata. “The selection of the Ranveer Singh-Alia Bhatt-starrer is a very good choice. We are thankful to jury members for having done the job meticulously,” said FFI president Firdausul Hasan.

Gully Boy, produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, features an up-and-coming rapper who sets out to achieve his dream by rhyming about his life on the Mumbai streets.

“Gully Boy has been selected as India's official entry to the 92nd Oscar Awards. #apnatimeaayega. Thank you to the film federation and congratulations #Zoya @kagtireema @ritesh_sid @RanveerOfficial @aliaa08 @SiddhantChturvD @kalkikanmani & cast, crew and hip hop crew,” he wrote.