We lost a genuine chance to win Oscar: Pande

Exit of India's official entry "Eklavya" from Oscars is not surprising as the "writing was on the wall", Oscar Film Selection Committee chairman Vinod Pande said.

"The writing was on the wall when `Eklavya' was chosen as India's official entry to Oscar despite the fact that we had a more deserving Bhavna Talwar's film `Dharm', which should have been our official entry," Pande told PTI.

"The film was extremely relevant as it showcased the turbulent times we are living in. It depicted the vicious atmosphere created by communal fundamentalism. Yet it was overlooked in favour of a big banner film. The result is for everyone to see," he said.

Pande was extremely critical of Film Federation of India's (FFI) handling of the entire issue of film selection and the controversy surrounding "Eklavya's" selection.

"I am angry with the politics played by FFI. First they did not inform the committee that one of the members was associated with the making of promotional film for "Eklavya". Had we known this fact, we could have stopped him from voting."

"Then, despite the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences giving us an opportunity for course correction, FFI remained adamant on sending "Eklavya" although we had three days in hand to send a fresh entry. The final result was "Eklavya" was not even nominated," Pande said

Courtyesy:thehindu.com
Complete artical HERE