announcement of ‘Missing Ladies’ selected as India’s official entry to Oscars 2025 Opinions on social media were divided. Many felt that Kiran Rao’s film was better than the other 28 films that were finalised, while others felt that Payal Kapadia’s film – All We Imagine As Light – could have been a better choice.

Following the announcement, India Today exclusively spoke to acclaimed filmmaker Jahnu Barua, who headed the 13-member committee that took a unanimous decision about the selection.

Speaking about the film to India Today, Barua said, “It has been a great year and we have received a lot of interesting films. One thing that stood out about Missing Ladies was that it depicted a lot of issues related to women in a very unique way. Also, we always look at chaos in a negative light, but we fail to understand that there is a lot of beauty in it too. There has always been chaos in the Indian social system, our relationships and interactions. That is what the committee kept in mind and really enjoyed it.”

The 13-member selection committee, headed by Assamese director Jahnu Barua, unanimously decided to include “Missing Ladies”, produced by Aamir Khan and Rao, in the Best International Film category at the Academy Awards.

Explaining the reasons behind the selection of the film, Jahnu Barua said, “Because this film is quite popular among film lovers. Socially, around the world, issues, especially those that are rarely portrayed, have been highlighted in the film. Many great films from across the country come for selection, and as a jury you want your selected film to be included in the nominations.”

Regarding their decision not to select All We Imagine as Light, the chairman of the FFI committee said, “The jury discussed this possibility. This is a film that should not be overlooked at all. Since it was the first time we saw the film, there were a lot of expectations. However, in my personal opinion, the film could have been better technically. When a film is sent for the Oscars, you need to look at many aspects. There is no doubt that the subject was important, and Payal has done a fantastic job. We wish we could have selected it too.”

On the question of there being no female member in the committee, the filmmaker said, “I don’t know what to say, this is a lesson that we will take with us. But I would definitely like to say that there was a female member in the committee, but due to some reasons, she could not come. However, I would definitely like to say that the jury was fantastic and they did a great job.”

The press release mentioning the selection of the Missing Ladies was also criticised for its opening sentence, which stated, “Indian women are a strange mixture of subordination and dominance…”.

When asked about this, Barua said, “I think it should be taken in a sporting spirit, and not in a negative way. We are all a mix, and we should celebrate that. There is social chaos prevailing in Indian society, which is beautifully depicted in the film. Our traditions and culture are very different, and that is what makes us different from the West. We should not read too much into it and look at it positively.”

Jahnu Barua also pointed out that even though many films are made in India, very few of them get international recognition. No Indian film has been honoured at the Oscars yet, which is a matter of concern for the industry and the country. “The films we want to qualify should be made with elements that represent the country. These elements come automatically. Earlier, even the films we used to send elsewhere did not have these elements. We make the most films, around 2000 per year. But we have not yet come to know about the Oscars. And this is a matter of concern for every countryman. Usually, what happens is that films in the commercial field are made according to the rules of demand and supply. Filmmakers give them content that the audience wants. However, they may be far from being eligible for entry into the Oscars.”

When asked about the next step to be taken by FFI and the government to empower filmmakers to compete internationally, he said, “The Film Federation of India is the parent body of the industry, its responsibility is to select the best film and send it to the Oscars. The biggest problem is to choose one film from so many good films made in a year. It is almost impossible. Still, it approaches the filmmakers and asks them to send entries. This year we received 29 films and had to choose the best among them. Sometimes as jury members, we feel that we might have missed a better film because it was not sent to us. It is important to solve this problem, which we have already raised in the industry. There should be some kind of system, a process, under which the best films of the country can be sent.”

The 13-member jury included other industry stalwarts like Ravi Jadhav, GP Vijayakumar (producer), Santosh Raman (art director), Bobby Bedi (producer) and Longinus Fernandes (choreographer).