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Political satire Newton is India’s entry for Oscars
‘Newton’, a Hindi black comedy set against the backdrop of elections in the world\'s largest democracy, was on Friday announced India\'s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars 2018. The film\'s team says it\'s an encouragement for filmmakers who are willing to take risks.
Mumbai: ‘Newton’, a Hindi black comedy set against the backdrop of elections in the world's largest democracy, was on Friday announced India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars 2018. The film's team says it's an encouragement for filmmakers who are willing to take risks.
‘Newton’, directed by Amit V Masurkar and starring the stellar Rajkummar Rao, was chosen from among 26 titles from different languages by a 14-member jury appointed by the Film Federation of India (FFI). "It was a unanimous decision. Titles like 'Dangal' and 'Mukti Bhavan' were part of the list," Supran Sen, secretary-general of FFI, said.
‘Newton’, which released on Friday, revolves around a young government clerk who is sent on election duty to a Maoist-controlled town and how the ideological struggle puts him in an awkward situation. It was shot in the interiors of Chhattisgarh.
Masurkar feels honoured that a story rooted in the country's political system was chosen. So far, "Mother India", "Salaam Bombay!" and "Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India" are the only Indian films that made it to the top five in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards, but none have won the honour.
"For now, the fact that 'Newton' has been selected as India's official entry is in itself a big deal for me. I'm still trying to process that information. It's still to sink in. Whether we make it to the shortlist or win or not are thoughts that are far away from my head right now," Masurkar said. He hopes the movie "will bring attention to the need to strengthen democracy in our country".
The excitement and contentment in National Award-winning actor Rajkummar's voice was palpable as he shared his excitement. "It feels amazing and brilliant that a film like 'Newton', which is unique and special for all of us, and which we have made with so much honesty and purity, without keeping any of those commercial things in mind about what works and what sells, gets this.” "The kind of response that we are getting from the critics, and now the fact that it makes it as India's official entry to the Oscars, it's huge."
The film fraternity, including names like Paresh Rawal, Anil Kapoor, Karan Johar, Manoj Bajpayee, Bhumi Pednekar, Ayushmann Khurrana and Dia Mirza, also praised the FFI's decision The 90th Academy Awards are scheduled for March 4, 2018 in Los Angeles.
