Entertainment Desk :
“Roktokorobi,” directed by Amitava Bhattacharya, has become the first Bangla film to place on the longlist for the Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the longlist for the Oscars in 2018 on December 19, with “Roktokorobi” among 340 films listed in contention for the Best Picture Award.
The film, based on Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s drama by the same name, beat out the likes of “Newton,” India’s official entry, and will compete alongside other Oscar hopefuls such as “Call me by your name,” “Ladybird,” “The Post” and “Dunkirk” for a spot on the shortlist.
Amitava told The Indian Express: “Now the real competition begins, and we are hoping for the best, because the movie received positive reviews from the jury members of the Academy. They appreciated the script, music and background score. Actors were also praised.”
He added that the movie also had a chance to be selected in other sub-categories, such as best music, best cinematography, best actor and best actress.
Having been filmed with a Rs1.2 crore budget, “Roktokorobi” was released on July 28 this year. The film stars Kaushik Sen, Shantilal Mukherjee, Rahul and Mumtaz Sorcar, among others.
