Shashi Tharoor calls Hindi film 'Santosh' UK's Oscar entry 'astonishing'; mixed reactions follow

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) selected Hindi crime thriller Santosh, written and directed by Sandhya Suri, as its entry for International Feature Film category at the Oscars.

This garnered mixed reactions from the Indians, including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor who called the news "utterly astonishing."

"How utterly astonishing that a Hindi language film with an Indian cast is the UK‘s official entry for the Oscars! Guess we should be rooting for it too," the senior Congress leader said.

The movie set in northern India follows the journey of a newly widowed Santosh who inherits the job of her husband as a police constable after the demise of her husband. After a girl's body is found, she gets into a murder investigation under the leadership of charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.

“There are so many technicalities involved that you never think about these things. Who would imagine that an Indian film could be picked from Britian. But it does feel wonderful, and I am really happy about it," actor Shahana Goswami told India Today.

However, the internet is witnessing mixed reactions from netizens with some appreciating the decision while others said it was "no big deal".

"Looks like Bollywood’s charm has crossed oceans! Who knew the UK would send a Hindi film to the Oscars before we did? Guess it’s time for us to cheer from the front row," said one user.

Another user criticised Shashi Tharoor he wrote: "You find it utterly astonishing because you LOOK up to your white masters. For me, it's NO big deal. UK doesn't have ANY other movies better than "Santhosh" this year. You perceive and "attribute TRIVIAL things" to superiority of your white masters."

Meanwhile, Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies, a gentle, satirical take on gender dynamics and patriarchy in rural India, is India's official entry for Oscars 2025, the Film Federation of India announced here on Monday.

The Hindi film, about two brides getting swapped on the day of their wedding during a train ride in 2001, was chosen from a list of 29 films, including Bollywood hit Animal, Malayalam National Award winner Aattam and Cannes winner All We Imagine As Light.

The 13-member selection committee headed by Assamese director Jahnu Barua unanimously decided on Laapataa Ladies, produced by Aamir Khan and Rao, for reckoning in the best international film category at the Academy Awards.

Besides Laapataa Ladies, Hindi film Srikanth, Tamil movies Vaazhai and Thangalaan and Malayalam film Ullozhukku were among the top five in the 29-title list.