Watch it, Weekend it: Let’s celebrate last five Indian Oscar entries

By Atul Mishra

NewsGram is back with your personal downloadable film festival! Humdrums and hullabaloo over the course of hectic week must have been getting on your nerves. So let's lighten it all up by celebrating the last five films which were chosen as India's official entries to the Oscars for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category.

Court, 2014

This film has been garnering lot of attention these days as it was recently selected for India's official entry at the 88^th Academy Awards. So all is not veiled with this magnificent Marathi courtroom drama and the pragmatics of Indian legal system presented on the celluloid.

Winning Best Feature Film at 62^nd National Film Awards, having gotten premiered at 71^st Venice International Film Festival winning the Best Film in Horizons category, director Chaitanya Tamhane getting Luigi De Laurentiis (Lion of the Future), all these gigantic accolades speak a lot about this masterpiece.

Why to watch it- Brilliant script, intelligently hard hitting and yet sensitive, extraordinary exposition of the worrying state of freedom of speech in the Indian democracy.

(P.S.- Pray that we've our fourth nomination after Mother India, Salam Bombay and Lagaan; and pray even more that we've our first win!)

Liar's Dice, 2013

You've been too much in the courtroom, inside witness stand. Let's take you to the roads outside!

'Liar's dice', a Hindi road drama film directed by debutant Geetu Mohandas, narrates the story of a young mother, living in remote village, whose husband goes missing after having left to work many months ago. At a deeper level, the film deals with the issues of migrant labors and their jeopardy.

This film was submitted as India's official entry to the 87^th Academy Awards by the Film Federation of India (FFI), but wasn't nominated.

Why to watch it- Propelling acting by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, exotic cinematography and audaciously heartening and moving.

The Good Road, 2012

Let's hitchhike and explore the labyrinthine roads more!

'The Good Road' is a 2013 Indian drama film written and directed by Gyan Correa. It was selected for the official entry at 86^th Academy Awards. The film is an amalgamation of many stories intertwined intricately and playing around majorly in a highway in suburban Gujarat.

The film won the Best Gujarati film award at the 60^th National Film Awards for "capturing the flavor of the never-ending and undulating highways of the other India and its hidden facets."

Why to watch it- Terrifying highway diaries will make you forget yourself!

Barfi, 2012

A Hindi drama film that explores the life of Murphy "Barfi" and his relationships with two women, one of them is autistic.

Pratim D. Gupta of 'The Telegraph', after the film's release, had said, "The brilliance of Barfi is that it's no story and all storytelling. It's about a director at the top of his game orchestrating terrific talent into a bravura crescendo. Only someone who has showed death the door can open windows to life like this."

This film was selected for the entry at 85^th Academy Awards.

Why to watch it- Heart touching and visually stunning film, warm and brilliant acting by Ranbir Kapoor who is deaf and yet speaks so much with his candid expressions.

Adaminte Makan Abu (Abu, Son of Adam), 2011

A 2011 Malayalam drama film written, directed and co-produced by Salim Ahamed, 'Abu, Son of Adam', narrates the story of a perfume seller whose last wish of his life is to go on Hajj pilgrimage.

The film had garnered four National Film Awards: Best Film, Best Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Background Score, at the 58th National Film Awards. It was officially selected as India's entry at the 84^th Academy Awards.

The film, apart from narrating old man's strive to fulfill his wish, projects the stark universal theme of human relationships beyond caste and religion.

Why to watch it- Marvelous acting, a rare insight into Muslim life of Kerala, showcase of peaceful piousness.