Zoya Akhtar on Gully Boy not making to Oscars: Disappointing, but you move on to your next
India's long-cherished Oscar dream was cut short earlier this week when Gully Boy, the country's official entry for the Best Foreign Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, did not qualify in the top 10 films that advanced to the next round of voting. Heartbreaking as the news may be, director Zoya Akhtar is her pragmatic self as she says, "It is upsetting in the sense that you say, 'Oh s***t, it didn't make it!' It was disappointing, but what can you do? You move on to your next film."
A still from Gully Boy
A film's graduation from the long list to the nominations' scroll of the Oscars is known to be laborious, marked with aggressive lobbying. "We went through the entire process," says the director, who was stationed in Los Angeles for several weeks as co-producer Ritesh Sidhwani and she hosted multiple screenings of the Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt starrer for critics. "But one doesn't know how the system works there. The people there are not fully aware either as the system keeps evolving. You have to rely on the publicists to guide you." Akhtar, who is gearing up for the release of Netflix's Ghost Stories, chooses to see the silver lining. "The point is that Gully Boy has been seen by 10,000 American critics. It has opened new doors not only for me, but also for the industry."
Films that made it to the shortlist include Parasite (South Korea), Pain And Glory (Spain) and Beanpole (Russia).
Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
India's long-cherished Oscar dream was cut short earlier this week when Gully Boy, the country's official entry for the Best Foreign Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, did not qualify in the top 10 films that advanced to the next round of voting. Heartbreaking as the news may be, director Zoya Akhtar is her pragmatic self as she says, "It is upsetting in the sense that you say, 'Oh s***t, it didn't make it!' It was disappointing, but what can you do? You move on to your next film."
A still from Gully Boy
A film's graduation from the long list to the nominations' scroll of the Oscars is known to be laborious, marked with aggressive lobbying. "We went through the entire process," says the director, who was stationed in Los Angeles for several weeks as co-producer Ritesh Sidhwani and she hosted multiple screenings of the Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt starrer for critics. "But one doesn't know how the system works there. The people there are not fully aware either as the system keeps evolving. You have to rely on the publicists to guide you." Akhtar, who is gearing up for the release of Netflix's Ghost Stories, chooses to see the silver lining. "The point is that Gully Boy has been seen by 10,000 American critics. It has opened new doors not only for me, but also for the industry."
Films that made it to the shortlist include Parasite (South Korea), Pain And Glory (Spain) and Beanpole (Russia).
Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
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