The Oscars, in four steps

Instead of moaning about why India doesn't win an an Academy Award, industry experts have some reel advice
Geetu Mohandas calls it her 'white elephant' moment. Last year when her debut movie Liar's Dice was selected as India's official entry to the Oscars, she and her team were over the moon. "It was a truly indie film and tough to make. So we were thrilled to be selected," she says.Then reality dawned. "It was like inheriting an elephant. What do you do with the animal the next day?"
Vivek Gomber, producer of this year's entry Court, is in similar straits. "Of course I have to think about the budget and a game plan," says Gomber, who was busy filling up Oscar submission forms even before he flew back from yet another international film festival that featured Court. For producers of India's Oscar nomination, it is the season of anxiety - time to deal with a huge amount of paperwork and fund-raising.
Gomber is aware that going to the Oscars is almost like launching a political campaign, complete with high-profile publicists, media blitz and glitzy screenings to make an impact on an all-American Academy jury. So what does it take to be noticed by the Oscar gods? Here are some tips from the experts.
Pick the right movie
"We need to realize that the culture that is represented in our movies is quite different from the sensibilities of the jury which is overwhelmingly American," says author Anil Dharker, who headed the NFDC in the 1980s. Bollywood song-and-dance routines look kitschy and out of place. So, the Film Federation of India (FFI), the body that chooses official entries from India, has to play smart. "I remember a Swiss girl's comment on Devdas (India's entry in 2002): 'Why did it take him so long to kiss Paro?' The cultural distance is huge and mainstream films never stand a chance," says Dharker. Mother India, India's first entry in 1957, is one of the three movies, along with Salaam Bombay! and Lagaan, to have reached the nomination stage out of the 47 movies sent from the country.
"It is a poor record for a country that produces the largest number of movies," says Anupama Chopra, author and film critic. Some of FFI's entries include potboilers like Saagar, Jeans, Henna, Indian, Devdas and Barfi. "How can you send Jeans, which is not even a good movie to begin with? How do you pick The Good Road over Lunchbox when you know that you need a film that will connect with the jury?" asks Chopra. Lunchbox, like Court, is a story rooted in Mumbai but with a universal theme. Dharker says the selection panel has to have people exposed to world cinema and understands western audiences.
Do the festival circuit
Even before a film enters the race, it helps if it has had good exposure in the international market. This is where being screened and acclaimed at top-league festivals like Venice, Cannes and Toronto helps, says Shiladitya Bora, the India distributor of Court and CEO, Drishyam Films.
Both Liar's Dice and Court had covered the festival circuit with the former premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in the competition section. "We got our Oscar entry after the national and international awards," says Mohandas. Court has won 27 awards including one at the International Venice Film Festival.
Schmooze and splurge
"The jury should be aware of the film, and hence it is of prime importance that it gets picked up by an influential distributor like Fox Searchlight, Sony Classics, Weinstein or say Zeitgeist Films as in the case of Court," says Bora. Oscar is also about lobbying and this means money. "Any decent campaign costs at least around Rs 2-3 crore," says Bora.
Mohandas remembers calling up India's Oscar-veterans to ask for tips. "They told us not to splurge but even a half spread in Hollywood Reporter costs thousands of dollars," says Mohandas. With the help of producer Ajay Rai and Alan McAlex, the team raised enough funds to get a good publicist, arrange media coverage and organize screenings for jury members.
"People talk about splurging and partying to win Oscars but you need to reach out. The rest is luck," says Mohandas, who camped for around 20 days in Los Angeles with her toddler during the screenings. Though it didn't get a nomination, the experience of interacting with the best in the world was amazing, she says. "And the Oscar tag is for life," says Mohandas, who got several invitations from film festivals to show her film post-Oscars.
Subtitle in style
To minimize the cultural disconnect, the film needs to be intelligently subtitled. "It should be in the style in which the characters are speaking, not stilted or jarring. In the case of Court, the work has been done by people who understand both cinema and language," says Dharker.
Chopra believes that Court, a gritty legal drama, has the strongest chance any Indian film has ever had. But Gomber is cautious. "The kind of accolades and support this film won in the last one year has been amazing. Poora pet bhara hua hai (our stomachs are full). So we are going through the formalities without any expectations," he says. And considering that Indian films can compete in only one category - foreign film - it's best not to have high hopes.