Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 18 : Director Kiran Rao's film 'Laapataa Ladies', India's official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards, is no longer in the Oscars race. The movie, which had generated a lot of buzz after being chosen as India's entry, failed to make it to the shortlist announced by the Academy.
Following the announcement, the makers of the film released a statement expressing their disappointment while thanking supporters and the jury for their faith in the project.
The statement, issued by Jio Studios and Kiran Rao's Kindling Productions, read, "Laapataa Ladies (Lost Ladies) did not make it to the Academy Awards shortlist this year, and we are of course disappointed, but equally we are immensely grateful for the incredible support and belief we've received throughout this journey."
"We at Aamir Khan Productions, Jio Studios and Kindling Productions extend our gratitude to the Academy members and the FFI jury for considering our film. To be included in this prestigious process alongside some of the finest films from across the world is an honor in itself. Our heartfelt thanks to all the audiences around the world who have expressed their love and support for our film," it added.
The makers also congratulated the films that made it to the top 15 list and shared that their team remains optimistic about future despite missing out on the Oscars shortlist.
"We congratulate the teams of all the top 15 shortlisted films and wish them the very best in the next stages of the awards."
"For us, this is not the end but a step forward. We remain committed to bringing more powerful stories to life and sharing them with the world," it further read.
In September, the Film Federation of India, led by Jahnu Barua, selected 'Laapataa Ladies' from a list of 29 films in several Indian languages, including Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine As Light' and the National Award-winning 'Aattam'.
While 'Laapataa Ladies' is out of the race, Shahana Goswami-starrer 'Santosh', directed by British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, is still in contention as the United Kingdom's official entry. Apart from this, Guneet Monga's live-action short film 'Anuja' has been shortlisted, giving India some hope at the Oscars.