New Delhi: Producers of Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra's blockbuster Rang De Basanti, India's official entry for the best foreign film category for the Oscars, are ready with strategies to lift the coveted award, and they are banking on Aamir Khan's Lagaan experience too.
"We have offices in Los Angeles and New York and Aamir is an experienced person. It's a matter of strategising and going about it," producer of UTV, Ronnie Screwala said soon after the film was officially selected as India's entry for the Oscars.
"It needs a lot of money and we are ready to make the financial commitment. I have asked lots of other studios for help. It’s basically about the exposure," Screwala added.
For campaigning, Screwala is depending on Aamir, who did a lot of legwork while promoting his film Lagaan which was shortlisted in the same category in 2002.
Rang De Basanti beat Lage Raho Munnabhai and Omkara, among other Oscar contenders, in the race.
Screwala agreed that the competition for the Indian entry was tough but Rang De Basanti had a universal appeal.
"Rang De Basanti is truly an international film and it has an universal appeal too. It is not just about crime. It is about liberating the youth and it has appealed to the youth all over the world because everywhere the same problem is being faced," Screwala said.
Talking about the other films in the reckoning, he said, "This year has been pretty good for Indian cinema. New genres of cinema have come about. There have been a lot of excellent films. They have broken the mould. So, the competition was tough".
The film starring Aamir, Siddharth, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan and Alice Patten revolves around a young British filmmaker, Sue (Patten), who comes to India to make a film on the revolutionaries - Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru - who had left an everlasting impression on her grandfather who was a jailer.
The film depicts the awakening of the young generation, inspired by the legendary freedom fighters.
Shyam, the executive producer of the film, is quite upbeat about its prospects at the Oscars.
"When we screened the film at the Golden Globes, it got a standing ovation. And after the screening many people came and congratulated Rakeysh for making such an excellent film," Shyam said.
He feels that the film stands a good chance at the Oscars.
"I know we are competing against some great films but we stand a good chance. Like when Lagaan didn't get an Oscar, we were disappointed but after watching No Man's Land people realised why Lagaan lost it," Shyam said.
"Having said that, there would be nothing like getting an Oscar, but if we make it to the best five films list, it would be a great honour for us," Shyam added.
Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has reacted sharply to Rang de Basanti’s nomination. IAF has called the film an unfair representation of the forces and termed the depiction of MiGs incorrect.
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