Cinema has played a significant role in our lives, and India is famed for its art and culture. The heart of cinema, whether it is in Hindi or any other regional language, is in India. Our outstanding musicians, actors, and directors do their utmost to amuse viewers by exhibiting their finest work.
When any Indian film performs well in other nations or wins any international award, all Indians become filled with pride. The Oscar is one such honour; it is regarded as one of the most prominent honours in the global entertainment business.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bestows Oscars, also known as Academy Awards, as a mark of excellence in motion picture production each year. The “Academy Award of Merit,” also known as the Oscar, is given to the winner in the form of a golden statuette trophy.
The inaugural ceremony was held in 1929, and it has advanced significantly since then. Nevertheless, did you realise that only few Indians or Indian films have ever taken home this prestigious award? Indian artists and Indians are receiving attention from all across the world now that history has altered. In this article, we will talk about the all the Indian films that were nominated or won the Oscar award.
95th Academy Awards
The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles hosted the 95th Oscars on March 12, 2023. India won two Academy Awards this year, one in the category of best original song and another in the category of best documentary short film. The awards were given to recognise the films that were released in 2022.
India won 2 Oscars in 2023
India was nominated in three categories for the year 2023: “All That Breathes,” a film by Shaunak Sen and Aman Mann, was competing for “Best Documentary Feature”. Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga’s The Elephant Whisperers has won in the category of “Best Documentary Short Film.”
By winning the first Academy Award for India in the category of Best Original Song for Naatu Naatu, S. S. Rajamouli, the director of RRR, made history. N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, and Shriya Saran all appear in the film RRR.
History of Indian Films in Oscars:
To date, many Indian movies and artists have won or been nominated for prestigious Oscars. 13 Indians have now been nominated overall, and 8 of them have won the golden trophy!
Let’s have a look at the list of Indian Oscar winners as well as the Indian films that have won Oscars:
Mother India (1957)
Mehboob Khan’s “Mother India,” which received its first Oscar nomination at the 30th Academy Awards, was produced in India (1957). This epic drama was nominated for Best International Feature Film and starred Sunil Dutt, Nargis, Rajendra Kumar, and Raaj Kumar.
The Creation of Women (1961)
The 33rd Academy Award nomination for “The creation of women” by Ismail Merchant followed. The movie was nominated for Best Short Subject (Live Action). A traditional dance style representing creation was shown in the movie.
The House that Anand built (1968)
The House That Ananda Built by Fali Bilimoria was nominated in the 41st Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). In the Indian city of Nagpur, the story centres around an Oriya guy.
The Bead Game (1977)
Ishu Patel’s “The Bead Game” received a nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the 50th Academy Awards in 1978. In this short film, the animation of beads that created legendary characters and monsters was at its best.
An Encounter With Faces (1978)
In the Best Documentary category, “An Encounter With Faces” by K.K. Kapil and Vidhu Vinod Chopra received two nominations from Indian cinema in 1979 (Short Subject Category). It provided a glimpse into a child’s life in an orphanage.
Gandhi (1982)
The year 1983 was a triumph for the Indian film industry when Bhanu Athaiya won the Oscar for “Best Costume Design” in the motion picture “Gandhi,” becoming the country’s first recipient of the prestigious award.
Ravi Shankar also received nomination for the Best Original Score. The life of Mahatma Gandhi, the country’s founding father, was depicted in the film.
Howard’s End (1992) & The Remains Of The Day(1993)
Ismail Merchant was nominated for two of his films, “Howards End” and “The Remains of the Day,” in the Best Picture category of the 59th Academy Awards. Sadly, none of them prevailed.
Lagaan (2001)
Two Indian movies were recognised at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002: “Lagaan” in the Best Foreign Language category and.
Little Terrorist (2004)
“Little Terrorist” by Ashvin Kumar was nominated in the Best Short Subject (Live Action) category in 2005 Academy Awards.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Read more: Song “Natu Natu” bags Oscars; Check out the complete list of winners and nominations
With three Oscars won by the Indian film, 2009 was a notable year. The appreciation for “Slumdog Millionaire’s” superb cinematic production was overwhelming.
Resul Pookutty won the first prize in the “Best Sound Mixing” category, followed by AR Rahman and Gulzar, who each took home two prizes for the best original song.
The way this movie conveyed a thorough understanding of the Indian slums and its inhabitants was exceptional. His dream of becoming a crorepati on the popular television programme “Kaun Banega Crorepati” has come true.
127 Hours (2010)
One Indian nominated for an Oscar Award in 2011—AR Rahman—for Best Original Music for the film “127 Hours.”
Life of Pi (2012)
In 2013, the movie “Life of Pi” earned a nomination of Bombay Jayashree for the Best Original Song category.
Amy (2015)
Once more, we saw an Indian Oscar winner in 2016. Asif Kapadia’s film “Amy” won in the Best Documentary Feature category at the 85th Academy Awards in 2016. The theme of the movie was paying homage to the late pop diva Amy Winehouse.
Lion (2016)
Dev Patel, a slum-dog millionaire actor of British and Indian descent, received another Oscar nomination for the film “Lion” in 2017.
Koozhangal (2021) and Writing with Fire (2021)
“Koozhangal,” directed by PS Vinothraj in Tamil, represented India at the Oscars in 2022. The movie centres on rural South India, where an alcoholic father and his kid head out on an 8-mile journey to find the wife who had escaped because of his abusive character!
In addition, “Writing with Fire” by Ritu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh was a nominee for Best Documentary Feature at the same event.