India’s Oscar hope almost squashed again!

Bad news for the Oscar hopefuls in India. The country’s official entry to the upcoming Academy Awards, the Malayalam film titled Adaminte Makan Abu is out of the Oscar race.

Directed by Salim Ahmed, Adaminte Makan Abu was among 63 entries screened by the Oscar committee in the first phase for the Best Foreign Film for 2011. Alas, the movie has failed to make it to the top nine shortlist.

Adaminte Makan Abu is India’s National Award winning film. It is a family drama about an elderly Muslim couple and their struggle to go on a Haj.

With Adaminte Makan Abu out of the Oscar race, the only hope is pinned to the film Dam999 which is not an official entry but an independent entry to the Academy Awards. The film is about the collapse of an old dam.

The nominations for the Academy Awards will be announced on Jan 24, 2012, in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theatre. The awards will be held on February 26.

The last Indian to win the Academy Award was A R Rahman for his score in Slumdog Millionaire in 2009. He was nominated last year for his compositions in 127 Hours, but did not win.

The last Indian film to be nominated at the Oscars was Lagaan in the year 2002. Another nomination came in the year 2004 for Little Terrorist, a short film. Neither of the films won.