In the long journey of Hindi cinema, the industry delivered many well-crafted cult classics, that not just kept the Indian audience on the edge of their seat but also became the fan-favorites on the global stage. The success of these cult classics helped the Hindi cinema build a contentious relationship with the Academy Awards. Over the years, we witnessed many Bollywood movies that deserved top position on the Oscars awards. But there are few Bollywood movies that managed to earn a nomination at one of the most prestigious Academy Awards. Here we bring you a list of the top 10 Bollywood movies that scored a submission for Oscar awards over the years:
1. Mother India: One of the highest-grossing movies of its time, Mother India was nominated under the Best Foreign Language Film category. Starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt, and Rajendra Kumar in lead, the movie portrayed the story of a poverty-stricken family in the post-independence struggle era.
2. Lagaan: The tale of brave villagers, who forces the Britishers to withdraw their tax law by playing a cricket match, has a special place in our heart. The was so influential and entertaining that it earned a nomination under the Best Foreign Language Film Category.
3. Bandit Queen: The audience needs no introduction to this cult classic story of Phoolan Devi who joined a gang of bandits. Helmed by Shekhar Kapur, the movie was a well-written and filmed women-oriented movie that impressed not just the audience but also officials who submitted it for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.
4. Devdas: It has been decades since Devdas was first played on the silver screen but the charm of the movie is still enchanting like a new one. The story of a foreign returned lawyer, who loses everything after his childhood love goes away from him was India's official submission at the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film.
5. Rang De Basanti: Rang De Basanti was produced and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. Aamir Khan, Siddharth Narayan, Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Kapoor, R Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni, and British actress Alice Patten were in the lead roles. It was an official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars but not nominated.
6. Saaransh: Saaransh was the debut movie of Indian versatile actor Anupam Kher and was directed by Mahesh Bhatt. It was official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars but not nominated.
7. Eklavya: The film directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and it stars Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Sharmila Tagore, Sanjay Dutt, Vidya Balan, Raima Sen, Jackie Shroff, Jimmy Shergill and Boman Irani in the lead roles. The film was India's official entry to the Oscars to be considered for nomination in the Best Foreign Film category but was not accepted as a nominee.
8. Taare Zameen Par: Taare Zameen par was Indian’s official entry for the Best Foreign Film category and we know the reason what made officials take this step. The movie not just entertained but also changed the curve of education with the story of a mentally ill kid named Ishaan.
9. Barfi: Anurag Basu's Barfi! sets in the 1970s. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Ileana D'Cruz in the lead roles. The film was India's official entry to the Oscars to be considered for nomination in the Best Foreign Film category but was not accepted as a nominee.
10. Peepli Live: It is written and directed by Anusha Rizvi. The movie also stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, which many of you may not be awared of. It was India's official entry for the 83rd Academy Awards Best Foreign Film category but was not accepted as a nominee.
