Pahlaj Nihalani, president of the Association of Motion Pictures and TV Programs, said Eklavya's selection was "disgraceful," "shameful" and a "blatant misuse of power."
Jury member and acclaimed film director Sudhir Mishra told IANS, "I can tell you in no uncertain terms that there was no politicization. Eklavya stands a good chance of making it to the top five nominations for the Oscar for the best foreign-language film. Technically, Eklavya is an impeccable film. And it's a very Indian work."
"I think it's unfair to question the selection," Mishra added.
Although Bollywood is the world's largest film industry based on the number of films it produces, none of its movies has won an Oscar for best foreign film.
Eklavya is the third film directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra to be nominated.
"I can say that it is just the beginning for [the Indian film industry]," Chopra told the Times of India. "I just hope we go there and make India proud."
Norway's most famous international actress, Liv Ullmann, will play a grandmother in her first Norwegian film in 38 years, Norwegian media reported this week. Ullmann, age 68, will make her "comeback" in In a Mirror, in a Riddle based on a novel by Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder and directed by Danish filmmaker Jesper Nielsen.
The Screen Actors Guild said it would give veteran character actor Charles Durning its lifetime achievement award at its awards show in January. For over 50 years, Durning, 84, has portrayed numerous roles on stage, television and in movies, from his turn as a corrupt cop in The Sting to the owner of a restaurant specializing in frogs' legs in The Muppet Movie.
RSS