Aamir Khan Disagrees with Shah Rukh Khan on Why Indian Films Struggle at the Oscars
Aamir Khan Disagrees with Shah Rukh Khan on Why Indian Films Struggle at the Oscars
Aamir Khan recently shared his thoughts on why Indian films struggle to secure nominations at the Oscars, presenting a different view from Shah Rukh Khan’s earlier statements on the issue.
In an interview with BBC Asian Network, Aamir responded to Shah Rukh’s comments about the lack of Oscar nominations for Indian movies. He explained that the competition in the Best International Feature Film category is incredibly tough.
“The reason we don’t get nominations every year is because we’re competing with excellent films from around the world—like those from Iran, Germany, and France. Getting nominated is a big achievement,” Aamir said, noting that this category includes the best films from over 80 countries.
He also highlighted that Lagaan, his 2001 hit, was the last Indian film to receive a nomination in the category. Aamir emphasized that the international feature category is more challenging than Best Picture since it pits one standout film from each country against dozens of others.
Shah Rukh Khan, in a previous interview, described Lagaan as a mix of artistic and commercial cinema. He argued that for Indian films to appeal to the Academy, they might need to adapt to global preferences, such as shorter runtimes and fewer musical sequences.
Aamir disagreed with this idea, pointing out that Lagaan, despite being a long movie with many songs, resonated deeply with global audiences.
India has had only three films nominated for Best International Feature at the Oscars: Mother India in 1957, Salaam Bombay in 1988, and Lagaan in 2001. Aamir’s comments underline the difficulty of achieving recognition in a highly competitive global arena.
