Indian composer AR Rahman has expressed his opinion that India has not been sending the right kind of films to the Oscars to get noticed. Rahman, who won an Oscar in 2009 for his work on the film Slumdog Millionaire, believes that India should send films that will appeal to Western audiences. In an interview with musician L Subramaniam, Rahman said, “Wrong movies are being sent for the Oscars. We have to be in another person’s shoes. I have to be in Westerner’s shoes to see what’s happening here. I have to be in my shoes to see what they are doing.”
Rahman is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the organization that hosts the Oscars, and is a regular voter for the ceremony. He has been watching the films that qualify and get nominated and believes that a different perspective is needed when selecting films to send to the Oscars.
Recently, two Indian films won awards in their nominated categories. Naatu Naatu from RRR won Best Original Song, and The Elephant Whisperers won Best Documentary Short at the Oscars. Director Kartiki Gonsalves and producer Guneet Monga accepted the award for The Elephant Whisperers.
Rahman was nominated once again for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours in 2011. This year, the composer has scored music for Rajkumar Santoshi’s Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh and has worked on the Tamil sequel saga Ponniyin Selvan 2, as well as the Hindi films Maidaan and Pippa. With his experience and perspective, Rahman’s opinions on Indian films at the Oscars carry weight and could lead to changes in the selection process for future years.
