The unhurried pace of Sardar Udham may not be for everybody. But Vicky Kaushal's honest performance makes it nearly impossible to take your eyes off the screen as he retells the story of freedom fighter Udham Singh who avenged the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Almost a fortnight since the film's release, the actor admits he is constantly tracking social media. “I am curious to know what people have to say about the film. I can sense that it has [struck a chord with] the audience. [In an OTT release], the film is not judged by box-office numbers. Instead, people are recommending it to their friends and family,” says the actor.

The rave reviews aside, Shoojit Sircar's period drama was among the contenders for India's official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2022 Academy Awards. Finally, P S Vinothraj's Tamil film Koozhangal landed the coveted spot. The decision was followed by a controversy — Indraadip Dasgupta, a member of the Film Federation of India (FFI) jury that chose India's entry, faced flak when he said that Sardar Udham was denied a shot at the Oscars because it portrayed “our hatred towards the British.”

Broach the subject with Kaushal, and he gracefully says, “Everybody has the right to their opinion. We have a jury [comprising] experts in cinema. They made a selection, and we have to respect that selection. I haven't seen the Tamil film, but Shoojit da has seen it and is gung-ho about it. I am sure it's the best decision taken for Indian cinema to be on a global platform. We should now root for the film that is selected, and hope that it brings us glory.”

While the Amazon Prime Video offering is being widely appreciated, many have noted that the film's languid pace may be a deterrent. Sircar, however, says that he wanted to make a movie “as elaborate” as this. “I like things slow and steady; I'm not a fast-food guy. I listen to classical music. That served as my base when I was shooting the film. People said similar things about October [2018] and Gulabo Sitabo [2020]. But I'm happy I made the film on my terms.”

Debutant filmmaker P S Vinothraj’s Tamil film Koozhangal, which has been making waves on the film festival circuit over the past year, has been chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars.

Talking to us, Vinothraj says, “I am extremely happy and I mean it straight from my heart. More than my work, I’d say this film belongs to my team. Right from its origins, the film grew into what it is today because of my team’s support. I’d like to thank the two actors Karuthadaiyaan and Chellapandi, my cinematographers Vignesh Kumulai and Jeya Parthipan, and editor Ganesh Siva at this moment. We just wanted to make a simple and honest film. And we all journeyed together with nothing but hope. It felt great when the film went to various festivals and connected with the audiences there. And now, the (Oscar) jury here has also loved the film and have chosen it as India's official entry to the Oscars. I feel elated.”

Quiz him on why the film has worked with audiences from various parts of the world, and he says, “The feedback I have been getting is that the film feels so pure and original. And nature supported me and gave me back something. Our team followed nature and that’s what has taken this film on this journey. At the film fests, people come up to me and say that the story is also something that happens in their own hometowns and that they are able to connect with it so much.”

Vinothraj says that he should thank his producers for taking his small film all the way to the Oscars. “I should thank the people who have brought the film this far, because they placed so much trust in it and promoted it. My producer Nayanthara ma’am, Vignesh Shivan sir and Sai Devanandam sir, who was initially the producer of the film... they were the ones who were extremely hopeful that the film will do something wonderful, so when that's actually happening, I am excited and happy,” he says.

---------------------

The news of Koozhangal being India’s Oscar entry has come as a surprise for director Vignesh Shivan, who has produced the film along with Nayanthara. Talking about why the film has managed to garner acclaim, he says, “Vinothraj has made the film in an unadulterated way, based on the lives he has seen and been part of, and that instantly comes across when anyone watches this film. It has gone to around 35 film festivals across the world and the one thing that everyone has remarked about is that it is pure cinema. Since we had already won at Rotterdam, we were not in the competition section at many of these festivals, but every jury has made a special mention of this film. Just like how Parasite connected with audiences across the world, even though it was a Korean film, our film has been connecting with audiences wherever it has gone so far.”

Looking at how they ended up producing this film, he recalls, “It was director Ram sir who identified the film and suggested we take over it when it was yet to be completed and needed a producer. Both Nayan and I watched the footage they had shot until then. It was Nayan who took the call that we should step in and produce the film. Once we completed, we applied for the International Film Festival Rotterdam. We did not think it would win there, but ever since it won the Tiger Award, it has been a dream run for us. I don’t think you can desire anything more than having your debut production representing your country at the Oscars.”

Vignesh says that they will set up a base in Los Angeles for the film’s Oscar campaign. “Obviously, we will have to,” he signs off.

------------------

Koozhangal has been to 34 international film festivals so far. Here is a list of some of the awards the film has won in these fests:

- Tiger Award - International Film Festival Rotterdam

- Best Debut Director - Asia Film Awards

- Best Director and Best Actor - Male - International Film Festival Of South Asia

- Best Feature Film (Premio SNCCI) - National Syndicate of Italian Film Critics's ShorTS International Film Festival, Italy

- Professional Achievement Award - Andrei Tarkovsky International Film Festival Zerkalo

- Audience Award - Burgas International Film Festival

Kolkata: P S Vinothraj’s Tamil film “Koozhangal (Pebbles)” has been chosen as the Indian entry for the Oscars 2022 Best International Feature Film category, reports Priyanka Dasgupta.

The decision was announced in Kolkata on Saturday by director Shaji N Karun, who chaired the jury comprising Ananya Chatterjee, Indraadip Dasgupta, Arghyakamal Mitra, Ruma Sengupta, Sumit Basu, Pampally, AVM K Shanmugam, P Sukumar, Naganna, G Bhageeradha, Vipul Mehta, Ravindra Jadhav, Umamaheshwar Rao and Navaniat Singh.

Soon after the announcement, Vinothraj tweeted saying: “Could not be more happier to receive this news!!! Feeling really grateful for all the love and support!! (sic)”.

Shaji pointed out that the selection process had become “more complex” since the Best International Feature Film was now also eligible to compete for Best Picture at the Oscars. According to him, “Koozhangal” had been made on a “smaller budget” but was a “cinematic achievement”.

“There were no dissent notes in choosing the Indian entry,” Shaji added.