AP News, October 15th, 2007
India may be forced to withdraw its Oscar entry in the foreign film category because of alleged bias in the selection process.
"Maybe there will be no film from India," Vinod Pandey, chairman of the Film Federation of India, said Monday. "Anything is possible. We can reaffirm our choice, send another or maybe India would retire this year."
The Bombay High Court has asked the federation to respond to a lawsuit challenging the selection of well-known filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra's "Eklavya: The Royal Guard."
First-time director Bhavna Talwar filed a petition claiming one panelist on the 11-member jury had edited a promotional short film for "Eklavya," and that two other jury members were also close to Chopra.
Talwar's "Dharm" was passed over for "Eklavya," a thriller starring Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
Pandey acknowledged irregularities in the process.
"I cannot be proud about the methodology and the dynamics of selection," he told The Associated Press.
Two of Chopra's earlier films were selected to represent India at the Academy Awards.
The court will decide whether "Eklavya" has to be withdrawn, which would throw the nomination process into disarray. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which usually narrows down submissions to five foreign film nominees, said India had to submit a final entry by Wednesday.
Although Bollywood is the world's largest film industry based on the number of films it produces, none of its movies has won an Oscar for best foreign film.
This year, hope rested on "Eklavya," but controversy began soon after the selection was announced last month.
Despite the controversy, Pandey said he was glad the courts were involved.
"It will help streamline the process, make it more transparent, democratic and develop clear-cut norms," he said.
Filmmakers have often criticized the associations of directors, exhibitors and distributors that nominate members to the Oscar-selection panel, arguing the groups do not fully represent the industry.
