Filmmaker Vetrimaaran’s crime thriller Visaranai on Thursday beat competition from films like Bajirao Mastani and Fan to become India’s official entry to the Oscars next year in the best foreign film
Filmmaker Vetrimaaran’s crime thriller Visaranai on Thursday beat competition from films like Bajirao Mastani and Fan to become India’s official entry to the Oscars next year in the best foreign film category.
The movie, which won three honours at this year’s National Film Awards, has been produced by actor Dhanush. “We selected Visaranai on the basis of concept, treatment and technique. There were other good films like Sairat, Bajirao Mastani, Sultan, Fan, Airlift and Udta Punjab. There was a Bengali film also in the race. The decision was unanimous,” filmmaker Ketan Mehta, chairman of the selection committee of Film Federation of India, told PTI.
There were total 29 films in the competition, Film Federation of India’s secretary-general Supran Sen said.
Visaranai is based on the novel Lock Up by M. Chandrakumar. Featuring Dinesh Ravi, Anandhi and Aadukalam Murugadoss in the lead roles, the film deals with police brutality, corruption, and loss of innocence in the face of injustice.
“I am happy. Thank you,” Vetrimaaran said when contacted. “Visaaranai #Anbum #amaithiyum malarathum (‘Let love and peace bloom’),” Dinesh tweeted in Tamil.
Actor-producer Dhanush described the selection as a “proud moment” for his Wunderbar Films and the director Vetrimaran.
Pandi (Ravi), Murugan (Murugadoss), Afzal (Rathnasamy), Kumar (Pradheesh Raj) are homeless Tamil labourers who are working in Andhra Pradesh.
Their life takes a turn for worse when they are caught, beaten and tortured brutally in police lock-up for a theft they did not commit, due to police’s need to close a robbery case they are dealing with. Visaranai is the ninth Tamil movie to represent India at Oscars. The last Tamil film to be submitted as India’s Oscar entry was Kamal Haasan’s Hey Ram (2000). Other submissions were Nayakan, Anjali, Deiva Magan and Jeans among others.
At the 63rd National Awards, Visaranai won awards in the categories — best feature film in Tamil, best supporting actor for Samuthirakani and best editing for Kishore Te.
The film premiered in the Orrizonti (Horizons) section of the 72nd Venice Film Festival, where it won the Amnesty International Italia Award.
India has never won an Oscar in the best foreign film category. The last Indian film that made it to the final five list was Ashutosh Gowarikers Lagaan. Mother India and Salaam Bombay are the other two Indian movies to have made it to the top five.
