The Good Road beats The Lunchbox for India’s Oscar submission

Film-maker Karan Johar is disappointed that The Lunchbox was not chosen.

Despite much raving and fantastic reviews, Indian feature film The Lunchbox hasn’t made the cut. Debut feature film-maker Gyan Correa’s Gujarati film The Good Road has been chosen to represent India in the best foreign film category at the Academy Awards instead.

“It was a unanimous decision to select The Good Road,” renowned film-maker Goutam Ghose, who heads the selection committee appointed by the Film Federation of India (FFI), told IANS. The Good Road tells the story of three different characters who cross paths on a highway in Gujrat. The movie left behind 21 other contenders, including producer Karan Johar’s The Lunchbox.

KJo took to Twitter to express his concerns. “Really shocked and disappointed...The Lunchbox had every factor working in its favour. We may have just lost our golden chance... SAD,” he posted.

The Lunchbox is a simple love story about two strangers who exchange notes about life via a lunchbox. Starring Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nimrat Kaur, the film is directed by debutant Ritesh Batra. The movie was one of the strongest contenders, admitted film-maker Ghose, who chaired the 16-member committee formed by the Film Federation of India to choose an appropriate movie.

The Lunchbox is “one of the finest films India has ever produced,” acclaimed writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar tweeted earlier this week.

“If sent, undoubtedly it will bring an Oscar for the country,” he had posted.

The film’s producer Anurag Kashyap has also expressed disappointment with the decision to oust the movie out of the Oscar race.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2013.

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