For halbali at the Oscars

IN CONVERSATION

It was the first big hit of 2006, and has garnered a staggering Rs 125 crore in revenues till date. Made on a budget of Rs 35 crore, Rang De Basanti made Rs 75 crore in the domestic market alone.

The film, produced by UTV and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, has just been declared the official entry from India for the Oscar awards in the US. UTV's Ronnie Screwvala speaks to Business Standard

Congratulations. Were you expecting this?

To be honest, no. While getting nominated (by India) for Oscars is obviously an acknowledgment, I think our reward came six months ago when Rang De Basanti was received so well by cinema audiences. This is just the icing on the cake.

But why do you think Rang De Basanti was selected?

I think what has worked for Rang De Basanti is not just the story, but the effect that it has had on audiences at large. The film sent out a strong message to audiences, and they identified with it.

Quiet candlelight vigils, rousing protest marches... Interestingly, all these forms of rebellion find a strange resonance and are reminiscent of the reel-life depiction of "youth awakening" in the film.

How will you tackle the Oscars?

We have our offices in New York and LA, and naturally, we'll go the whole hog. It is premature to indicate a figure on the advertising spends, but we will make sure that as many jury members (there are 500 jury members in the foreign language category) as possible watch the film.

There will be a mainstream US release between December 2006 and February 2007 through 20th Century Fox (a first for any Indian film). Besides, this is Aamir Khan's second film that has gone to the Oscars, and we can make use of his experience too.

Are you hopeful of a win?

Like I said, our real joy came six months ago when the film was 2006's first hit. Being selected is as good as winning, and we'll continue to do our work well.

Films like Rang De Basanti come along only once in a generation, and we shall make every effort to ensure it is seen by as wide an audience as possible internationally too.

Besides a mainline release in the US, we are pitching for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards too.

Following the rousing reception the film received at the Golden Globe jury screening, we are confident it stands a strong chance.