Explained: What RRR, Chhello Show and other Indian Oscar nominations from the past have in common

SS Rajamouli’s RRR has been making headlines ever since it has been nominated at the Oscars. A visually captivating masterpiece, the film appeals to one on many levels – the bromance between the lead actors Ram Charan and NT Rama Rao Jr, the refreshing music and dance moves, a stellar casting, a touching story set during the British rule in India and the freedom struggle and oppression from the British, and most importantly, the feeling of nationalism.

However, if one was to study what makes a film tick at the Oscars, a rundown of the previous nominations of Indian films would be the key.

When Nargis and Sunil Dutt starrer Mother India released in 1957, it not only earned the highest revenue for any Indian film at the time, but made an impression globally. The following year, it became the first Indian film to be nominated at the Oscars under the Best Foreign Language Film category.

Over the years, India has had several official entries and nominations at the Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars. The 1988 film by Mira Nair, Salaam Bombay became the second Indian film to be nominated at the Oscars under the Best International Feature Film category. The film dealt with a 12-year-old boy who survived without a family, in the slum areas of Bombay. It chronicled the challenges life threw at him.

In 2001, Aamir Khan’s Lagaan, portrayed the plight of Indians under British rule. The film shows a cricket match as the deciding factor for whether the villagers would continue to pay ‘lagaan’ or tax to the British.

After a long gap of nearly two decades, in 2021, Writing With Fire (for Best Documentary Feature) and in 2022, Pan Nalin’s Chhello Show (for Best International Film) and RRR (for Best original song for Naatu Naatu) have been nominated at the 95th edition of the prestigious awards.

A closer look at the Indian Oscar nominations over the years tells that the nominations share two common themes – that of nationalism, set during the British colonial rule and the oppression that came along and that of class divide or stories of those on the fringes of society.

What makes these the favourite themes at the Oscars are their global appeal. A number of countries being former colonies, and the struggle to gain independence as well as stories of the voiceless – those at the bottom of the pyramid, as in the case of Chhello Show and Salaam Bombay.

However, themes of nationalism and class divide have not always worked at the Oscars. Take Rang De Basanti, for instance. Aamir Khan’s film that went back and forth between the independence struggle and the modern times, was sent as an official entry to the Oscars in 2006, but it failed to receive any nomination. In 1994, 2010 and 2019, films Bandit Queen, Peepli Live and Gully Boy, respectively, that spoke of oppression, class distinction were the official entry to the Oscars but failed to receive nominations as well.

Cut to 2022, Rajamouli’s RRR has appealed to audiences all over the globe. Recently, The Game of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel took to Twitter to praise the film, its actors and its Oscar nominated song Naatu Naatu, highlighting its near-to-perfection dance moves and lyrics.

While the Oscar nominees await the final declaration of the results, it would be interesting to see what noteworthy films come up in the New Year and what impact they leave behind.

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