336 films will compete for the Oscar statuette this year.
Two biopics from Bollywood – MS Dhoni: The Untold Story and Sarbjit have made it to the long list of 336 feature films for this years’ Oscar Awards.
The long list of best films released across the world was released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday. These 336 films will compete for the Oscar statuette for the best picture.
According to the rules set by the Academy, to be featured in the long list of the Oscars, a movie should have played in a commercial theater in Los Angeles County between Jan1 and December 31 for seven consecutive days.
Adding to this, the movie should be featured on a 35mm or 70 mm film, or in digital format. It should also have a runtime of more than 40 minutes.
Both the Bollywood movies selected for this years, Oscars, fall in line with the rules laid by the Academy. In addition to two Bollywood movies, Indian American Mira Nair’s Queen of Katwe has also made it to the long list of movies that will compete for the Oscar statuette.
MS Dhoni: The Untold Story is the biopic of Indian Cricket captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni directed by Neeraj Pandey starring Sushant Singh Rajput. The movie is second biggest grosser of the year.
Sarbjit directed by Omung Kumar, on the other hand, is the story of Sarabjit Singh played by Randeep Hooda, an Indian man who was sentenced to death by the Pakistan Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1991. The movie revolves around how Sarabjit’s sister, Dalbir Kaur played by Aishwarya Rai fights for 23 years to clear her brother’s name after he is posthumously accused of terrorism.
In the meanwhile, Queen of Katwe, directed by Mira Nair is an American biographical sports film that portrays the life of Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan girl living in a slum in Katwe. The film unreels the story of how a slum dweller with interest in chess becomes the Woman Candidate Master after her performances at World Chess Olympiads.
The long list also includes popular award winning movies such as La La Land, Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea, Silence, Arrival, and Hacksaw Ridge. Superhero movies Deadpool, Suicide Squad, Captain America: Civil War, and X-Men: Apocalypse.