Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy has been chosen as India’s official entry for the 92nd Academy awards aka Oscars next year in the Best International Feature Film category (earlier known as the Best Foreign Language Film category).
The news was shared by Zoya's brother and the film's producer Farhan Akhtar. “Gully Boy has been selected as India’s official entry to the 92nd Oscar awards," Farhan tweeted with the hashtag ApnaTimeAayega. "Thank you to the film federation and congratulations Zoya, Reema Kagti, Ritesh Sidhwani, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Kalki Koechlin and cast, crew and hip-hop crew.”
Gully Boy starred Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt and Siddhant Chaturvedi with Kalki Koechlin, Vijay Raaz and Amruta Subhash also playing key roles. The film was about the struggle of a slumdweller to become a rap artiste while battling various social and personal odds.
The film, co-written by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti and released earlier this year, became a critical and box-office success. In fact, it became Zoya Akhtar’s biggest box-office success till date.
India’s official entries for the Oscars are selected by the Film Federation of India (FFI). Last year, filmmaker Rima Das’s Village Rockstars (2018) was selected to represent the country at the Oscars.
Only three Indian films have made it to the final round in this category so far — Mehboob Khan’s Mother India (1957), Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay (1988) and Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India (2001).