Vikramaditya Motwane criticizes FFI for not nominating All We Imagine As Light over Laapataa Ladies for Oscars.

News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 20th December 2024

After Hansal Mehta and Ricky Kej, filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane has voiced his unhappiness in Laapataa Ladies being selected as India’s official Oscar submission for 2025. In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, the filmmaker discussed why All We Imagine As Light would have been a better decision.

When asked for his opinion about Laapataa Ladies being fit for India’s official entry to Oscars 2025, Vikramaditya Motwane said, “Depends on what you want. If you want to win an Oscar, then may be not. I mean, the fact that All We Imagine As Light went on to win Grand Prix at Cannes. In that moment of time, you’re saying it’s the second-best film of the year. It’s massive.”

He further slammed FFI for rejecting All We Imagine As Life as India’s official entry to Oscars 2025 considering it to be a European film and said, “Film federation of India, I don’t understand what is the logic of these 13 men (members). They said that they did not select All We Imagine as Light as it is a European Film. It’s not an Indian film. I mean what defines Indian anymore. I feel personally it is incorrect. I think there’s diversity which must be celebrated, and the same thing applies to movies as well.”

Vikramaditya went on to explain why he believes All We Imagine As Light would have been a better Oscar nominee, stating that the film’stopped pretty much every single reviewer, all across the world’, making it a ‘no-brainer’ to choose it over Laapataa Ladies. He also mentioned how The Lunchbox was previously spurned.

After Laapataa Ladies failed to make a cut to Oscars 2025 shortlist, the FFI faced immense backlash on social media for selecting it as India’s official entry. Defending the jury, FFI jury head Jahnu Baruaa told HT, “The jury felt that the films which have gone to the Oscars in the last few years lacked Indian-ness. A film needs to represent the nation. We felt that Laapataa Ladies had all the right elements, and presented the social chaos we go through brilliantly. The jury felt that her (Payal Kapadia’s) film was very poor technically.”