'Rang De Basanti' nominated for BAFTA awards

New Delhi, Jan 12 (UNI) Rakeysh Mehra's 'Rang De Basanti', India's official entry to the Oscars this year in the Foreign Film category, today bagged a nomination for the prestigious British Academy of film and Television (BAFTA) awards.

'Rang De Basanti' was nominated in the 'Film Not In The English Language' category, according to the nominations list announced by the BAFTA, considered a forerunner to the Oscars, this evening, said sources in the UTV, the producers of the film.

''British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the highest honor in film and television and known to be the British Oscars, announced their nominations today in which 'Rang De Basanti' was nominated in the 'Film Not in the English Language' category along with 'Apocalypto', 'Black Book', 'Pan's Labyrinth' and 'Volver'.

The awards will be held on Feb 11 at the Royal Opera House in London,'' the sources said. Expressing elation at the nomination for 'Rang De Basanti', Ronnie Screwvala, CEO UTV, said,''Rang De Basanti has touched the hearts and minds of viewers across the world. This BAFTA nomination is yet another affirmation of the fact that RDB is a film that transcends all boundaries of ethnicity and nationality and appeals to the basic humanity in all of us.'' Leading the nominations list at the BAFTA this year are 'The Queen' and 'Casino Royale' with ten nominations and nine nominations respectively.

Daniel Craig has received a best actor nomination for his performance as James Bond. He figures in the list alongside Leonardo DiCaprio for 'The Departed', Richard Griffiths for 'The History Boys', Forest Whitaker for 'The Last King Of Scotland' and veteran star Peter O'Toole for 'Venus'.

Trade observers say a nomination at the BAFTA, the winners of which are to be announced on February 11, just two weeks before the Academy Awards, is a significant barometer of a film's chances at the Oscars. In this sense, a nominations for 'Rang De Basanti' in the non-English film category raises hopes for the film bagging a nomination at the Oscars in the Best Foreign Film category.

Incidentally, 'Rang De Basanti', chosen by the Film Federation of India in September last year to represent India at the Oscars amid competition from Rakesh Roshan's 'Krrish', Karan Johar's 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna', Naseeruddin Shah's 'Yun Hota To Kya Hota', Rajkumar Hirani's 'Lage Raho Munnabhai', 'Rang De Basanti', Vishal Bharadwaj's 'Omkara', Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Corporate', Marathi film 'Bhook' and Telugu film 'Amma Chepindi', was subsequently entered by its producers in seven other categories including Best Film, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Art Direction and Best Sound Design.

Trade analysts feel that 'Rang De Basanti', which has over the last year cast a tremendous impact on the people with its message of 'standing up to a cause' akin to our freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh and Rajguru, is India's best chance to bag the Oscars after 'Lagaan' secured a nomination in 2002 but eventually lost the race to Bosnia's 'No man's land by a whisker.

Trade analysts feel that with a universal theme, 'Rang De Basanti' stands a strong chance of making it in the final five at the Oscars.

The effect of the film can be seen from the infamous Jessica Lal verdict to the Narmada anti-dam campaign to the latest protest marches against the proposed quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in institutes of higher learning. Protests forms in India have undergone a sea change from the usual hunger-strike, mob-violence routine.

Now, with 'Rang De Basanti' bagging the BAFTA nominations, chances of India bringing home the Oscars have definitely brightened.

UNI