Noted Assamese actor Adil Hussain has urged the government to release Rs5 crore for the promotion of Rima Das's Assamese film Village Rockstars ahead of the Oscars, where it will represent India in the Best Foreign Language film category.
On Saturday (22 September), the Film Federation of India (FFI) announced the independent film as the chosen one to vie with movies from several other countries to make the cut as a nominee in the highly competitive Academy Awards category.
FFI's selection committee chairman SV Rajendra Singh Babu, a veteran film producer, said there is an acute lack of funds to carry out the required promotional processes effectively, which is why many Indian movies haven't made it to the final round, barring three — Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Lagaan (2001).
Hussain was "flummoxed" with the statement.
"The governments have so much money to promote themselves putting posters all across! After selecting Village Rockstars, jury says there's acute lack of funds to promote film at Oscars," tweeted the actor, whose Norwegian film What Will People Say is Norway's official entry to the Oscars this year.
Set in Das's own village of Chhaygaon in Assam, Village Rockstars is the story of "poor but amazing children" who live a fun-filled life.
The film also won the Best Feature film Award at the 65th National Film Awards.
As for Das, she is hoping for the best as far as funds are concerned to put her film on the Oscars map.
"Village Rockstars is a film about dreams and hope. It has transcended so many barriers right from the time of its inception and I am hopeful this time too it will."