Why our obsession with the Academy Awards must stop
By Anshul Saxena
Indians have been going gaga over the winning of 'Natu Natu ' for Best Original Song at the 95th Academy Awards on social media and elsewhere. Some have called it a golden moment for Indian cinema, particularly South Indian cinema. Others have used this historic win to cement the debate in favour of South Indian cinema being superior to the Hindi film industry. This win at the Oscars seems to be the final nail in the coffin in the North vs South debate on cinematic brilliance. Even though as Indians we should be proud of this achievement, but the undue importance of this particular win and the belief amongst us that Oscars is the ultimate litmus test for judging cinematic quality is worrisome and displays a deep inferiority complex in our minds.
Why is it so that we always look up to international awards for validation. Why is it so important for us to win the Oscars , Grammy Awards, BAFTA, Golden Globes to name a few? We must understand that these are mere awards of a particular country, like we have the Filmfare Awards, Stardust Awards, IIFA Awards etc. Every year, a particular Indian film is chosen to be India’s official entry to the Academy Awards. This particular film which is chosen is considered to be that year’s best film by critics and audiences alike, and then our desperation for a win starts showing. If we don’t win - which most of the times we don’t - an atmosphere of sadness engulfs us.
Few celebrities have spoken on this subject,Salman khan and Mahesh Bhatt are the names who shine bright in this matter. Salman Khan was asked in one of Aap ki Adalat episodes by a man in the audience regarding the Oscar awards, to which khan said that Oscars is their award. He went on to say that if their film is nominated to our awards, it would come as a foreign film. Basically Salman Khan indicated that we shouldn’t be obsessed with foreign awards. Mahesh Bhatt was once asked by Karan Johar in his chat show Koffee with Karan about one thing he'd like to change about the film industry today, to which Mahesh Bhatt replied “Our pathetic lust for the Oscars”. Both these gentlemen have put forward a view which I too subscribe to. Oscars are just like any other award, not the most ultimate award.
Another point worth mentioning here is the fact that we have named our film industries too in a similar way as the American film industry. The name of the town where American film industry is based is Hollywood, and we have named our Hindi film industry as Bollywood, Telugu film industry as Tollywood, Tamil film industry as Kollywood etc. Why can’t we just call them as per the places where they are situated, or simply Hindi film industry, or Telugu film industry etc.
Aspiring for a foreign award is not bad, it increases our reach and visibility in the world. Films are considered an integral part of soft power projection. Today, along with hard power, USA also leads in soft power projection. American food, culture, films, lifestyle is so wanted and cherished all around the world, that it has captivated the minds of people as the ‘American Dream'. India too has great soft power capability and films is one way of realizing it. It’s just that obsession with foreign awards and considering them as the litmus test for cinematic quality and brilliance, particularly the Oscar Awards, is problematic.
Indians have been going gaga over the winning of '
Why is it so that we always look up to international awards for validation. Why is it so important for us to win the Oscars , Grammy Awards, BAFTA, Golden Globes to name a few? We must understand that these are mere awards of a particular country, like we have the Filmfare Awards, Stardust Awards, IIFA Awards etc. Every year, a particular Indian film is chosen to be India’s official entry to the Academy Awards. This particular film which is chosen is considered to be that year’s best film by critics and audiences alike, and then our desperation for a win starts showing. If we don’t win - which most of the times we don’t - an atmosphere of sadness engulfs us.
Few celebrities have spoken on this subject,
Another point worth mentioning here is the fact that we have named our film industries too in a similar way as the American film industry. The name of the town where American film industry is based is Hollywood, and we have named our Hindi film industry as Bollywood, Telugu film industry as Tollywood, Tamil film industry as Kollywood etc. Why can’t we just call them as per the places where they are situated, or simply Hindi film industry, or Telugu film industry etc.
Aspiring for a foreign award is not bad, it increases our reach and visibility in the world. Films are considered an integral part of soft power projection. Today, along with hard power, USA also leads in soft power projection. American food, culture, films, lifestyle is so wanted and cherished all around the world, that it has captivated the minds of people as the ‘American Dream'. India too has great soft power capability and films is one way of realizing it. It’s just that obsession with foreign awards and considering them as the litmus test for cinematic quality and brilliance, particularly the Oscar Awards, is problematic.
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