• Aamir Khan, known as Mr. Perfectionist in Bollywood, discusses why Indian films rarely receive Oscar nominations.
• He points to his film “Lagaan,” which despite following Indian filmmaking style, managed to secure a nomination.
• Khan emphasizes that a film’s emotional impact and quality are crucial factors for success at the Oscars.

Aamir Khan has been actively running the Oscar campaign for his film “Lost Ladies” (Laapataa Ladies) on global platforms. Recently, he shared his views on why Indian films rarely receive Oscar nominations, explaining that intense competition from films across various countries plays a significant role. He also disagreed with Shah Rukh Khan, who had previously stated that Indian films need to align with international filmmaking formats to secure a nomination. Aamir Khan pointed to his film “Lagaan”, which, despite following the Indian filmmaking style, managed to secure a nomination.

Aamir Khan sat down with BBC News Asian Network to discuss why Indian films often fail to secure Oscar nominations. He explained that, unlike the Best Film category, the Best International Feature category faces intense competition from countries like Iran, Germany, and France, which are known for their exceptional cinema.

He also explained that “there is strong competition for a single film with other Indian movies and at the next level with other exceptional 80+ entries from different countries. Consequently, he believes it’s not easy to be selected at different levels, but it’s a big achievement when a film does so.”

At this moment, the host played a throwback interview with Shah Rukh Khan, where the superstar shared his views on the same question. He described Aamir’s “Lagaan” as a “combination of an art and commercial film,” which he believed was a key reason it secured an Oscar nomination. King Khan also admitted that Indian films must align with international film formats, such as reducing song-heavy sequences and lengthy runtimes.

However, the Laal Singh Chaddha actor immediately disagreed with SRK’s views and said, “No, I don’t agree. Because Lagaan was three hours and 42 minutes long, and it had six songs. And it got nominated. To get nominated, the members really have to love your film. Lagaan proves that a film with songs, which is also very long, is not a problem for the Academy members.”

Aamir Khan, known as Mr. Perfectionist in Bollywood, emphasized that a film’s emotional impact and quality are crucial factors for increasing its chances of success at the Oscars. For those unaware, only three films—”Mother India”, “Salaam Bombay”, and “Lagaan”—have been nominated in the International Feature category at the Oscars, with “Lagaan” being the most recent.

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