TO THE OSCARS

If there is one thing that our selectors can't learn from the past, it selected the movies that should make it to the Oscars.

After the disastrous 'Paheli' interlude, the selectors who have chosen Rang de Basanti (RDB) as India's entry to the Oscars in the Foreign Film category have got us guessing again. How and when does a movie make great cinema? In this case, not just great cinema, but something that is going to be the face of Indian cinema, if it does make it to the short list.

Like last year, it wasn't as if the selectors weren't spoilt for choices. Among other movies, there was the brilliant Bollywood rendition of Shakespeare's Othello in the form of 'Omkara'. Then there was the blockbuster 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' . But they chose ahem... RDB. A generation may awaken, but our selectors won't.

If I remember correctly if a movie has too much English dialogue, chances are it won't even make it to the short-list. And RDB sure did. Apart from that, it's up against Deepa Mehta's 'Water', which is Canada's entry in this category.

So your guess is as good as mine - chances are RDB is not going to hold too much water. There goes another opportunity to stride down the red carpet!