The process to select India’s entry to Oscars 2022 began in Kolkata on Monday.
At Bijoli cinema in Bhowanipore, a panel of 15 judges will watch 14 films over the next few days to shortlist one that would represent India at the Oscars.
The 94th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will be held on March 27 next year.
A jury of the Film Federation of India, headed by director Shaji N. Karun, is in charge of the selection.
Mandela, a Tamil film about a barber whose vote becomes the deciding factor in local polls; Chello Show, a Gujarati coming-of-age film; and Nayattu, a Malayalam thriller, are among the films that will compete for the lone slot, said sources.
Sherni, which tells the story of an upright forest official trying to capture an unsettled tigress amid bureaucratic and political hurdles, and Sardar Udham, a portrayal of freedom fighter Udham Singh are among the Hindi films in the race, they said.
“This is the centenary year of Satyajit Ray, the first Indian to win an Oscar. In a way, the screening in Kolkata is a tribute to Ray,” said Firdausul Hasan, a Kolkata-based producer and vice-president of the federation.