Buoyed by the overwhelming response his film RRR has been receiving on a global platform, and the unique milestones it has been creating, filmmaker Rajamouli had decided to push his film forward for consideration for Oscar awards.
Even though the Government of India has not chosen RRR as the country’s official entry for the Academy Awards (Gujarati film Chhello Show was nominated), Rajamouli believes his film stands a good chance of making it to the Oscar nominations.
A couple of weeks back, when Chhello Show was announced as India’s official entry for the Oscars 2023, rumours were rife that Rajamouli would apply through a For Your Consideration campaign. And that’s exactly what he has done. He has submitted RRR’s name to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences under the FYC in all 14 categories.
Apart from Best Motion Picture, Director (SS Rajamouli), Actor (Jr NTR and Ram Charan), Best Supporting Actor (Ajay Devgn), Best Supporting Actress (Alia Bhatt) and Best Original Song (Naatu Naatu), other categories under which RRR has been submitted for nomination include Original Score, Film Editing, Sound, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup & Hairstyling, and Visual Effects.
With this, the celebrated director has officially kicked off his Oscar campaign.
Rajamouli has been attending prestigious film festivals across Canada and the US over the last one month to bring traction to RRR on a global platform. He recently tied up with global talent agencies in the US as part of his PR campaign to bring visibility for himself and RRR.
Meanwhile, considering the box office response RRR has been getting from around the world, Rajamouli’s decision to push RRR independently for the Oscars is being seen as the right move.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh feels Rajamouli is not defying the government by taking such a decision. “The Academy gives filmmakers the authority to apply for nomination independently, so that’s what Rajamouli has done,” he says, and notes that in the past too, several filmmakers from around the world had taken similar decisions. RRR has been described as a film that unites film buffs across the globe, as it transcends geographic boundaries, linguistic and cultural barriers.
