Indian cinema has a long history of making its mark at the Oscars, from classic nominations like ‘Mother India’ (1957) to recent successes such as ‘RRR’ (2022). While competition remains fierce, hopes are high again as ‘Laapataa Ladies’ prepares to enter the race for the Best International Feature Film title. Let’s take a close look into the rising buzz surrounding the film. The Journey of ‘Laapataa Ladies’: From Theatrical Miss to Netflix Success Produced by Jio Studios, Aamir Khan Productions, and Kindling Pictures, ‘Laapataa Ladies’ premiered on September 8, 2023, at the Toronto International Film Festival. After its theatrical release on March 1, 2024, the initial reception was unfavorable. However, the satirical film found new life following its Netflix debut on April 26, garnering widespread acclaim. The movie was directed by Kiran Rao. The production credit goes to Rao, Aamir Khan, and Jyoti Deshpande. The cast features Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goyel, Chhaya Kadam, Sparsh Shrivastava, Abhay Shankar Dubey, Geeta Aggarwal Sharma, Ravi Kishan, and Durgesh Kumar. Read more: October 2024 Bollywood Release Lineup: Top 10 Hindi Movies to Watch ‘Laapataa Ladies’ Sets Its Sights on the Oscars On Monday, September 23, the Film Federation of India announced ‘Laapataa Ladies’ as its official entry for the 97th Academy Awards. This film will compete for a nomination in the Best International Feature Film category, representing India on the global stage. The selection committee, consisting of 13 members and chaired by acclaimed Assamese director Jahnu Barua, has made this decision. The selection process saw the movie outshine 29 notable contenders, including Cannes winner ‘All We Imagine as Light’, the Bollywood hit ‘Animal’, and the Malayalam film ‘Aattam’. As per Oscar rules, only one film from each country can be submitted for the Best International Feature Film category. A shortlist of 15 films is created from entries submitted worldwide, from which 5 will be nominated for the final event. Read more: Must-watch South Indian Films Releasing in October 2024

A year after a streaming service won Hollywood's top honor for the first time, big-screen spectacles are poised to dominate nominations to the 95th Academy Awards on Tuesday (January 24, 2023). Nominations will be announced at 8:30 am EST from the academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California. They will air live on ABC's “Good Morning America” and be live-streamed on Oscars.org, Oscars.com, and on several of the academy's social media platforms. Riz Ahmed ("Sound of Metal") and Allison Williams ("M3gan") will read the nominees. If things go as expected, “Top Gun: Maverick," “Avatar: The Way of Water," “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Elvis” could all rack up somewhere between six and nine nominations. If last year's Oscars were dominated by streaming — Apple TV+'s “CODA” won best picture and Netflix landed 27 nominations — movies that drew moviegoers to multiplexes make up many of this year's top contenders. Read more: 'Top Gun,' 'Black Panther' advance in Oscars shortlist That includes “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the A24 sci-fi indie hit. Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan's multiverse-skipping tale could walk away with the most nominations Tuesday, including nods for Michelle Yeoh and comeback kid Ke Huy Quan. Also at the front of the pack is “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Martin McDonagh's Ireland-set dark comedy, which is set to score as many as four acting nods, including nominations for Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Steven Spielberg's “The Fabelmans” struggled to catch on with audiences, but the director's autobiographical coming-of-age tale is set to land Spielberg his 20th Oscar nomination and eighth nod for best-director. John Williams, his longtime composer, should extend his record for the most Oscar nominations for a living person. Another nod for best score will give Williams his 53rd nomination, a number that trails only Walt Disney's 59. Read more: Oscar winners cut off their hair to support Iran protests Many questions remain, though, like whether the love for “Top Gun: Maverick” will go far enough to win Tom Cruise a best actor nomination. The year's other highest-grossing blockbuster, “Avatar: The Way of Water," should score well in the technical categories, though less certain is whether director James Cameron will make it into the best director field. After that category saw the first back-to-back wins for female filmmakers — Chloé Zhao ("Nomadland") in 2021, Jane Campion ("The Power of the Dog") last year — no women are expected to be nominated for best director. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences will surely celebrate a best picture field populated with blockbusters. Ratings for the telecast have typically been higher in years with much-watched films as favorites. Last year's awards had been looking like a comeback edition for the Oscars before “the slap” came to define the ceremony. In the aftermath, the academy banned Will Smith from attending for the next 10 years. Though he could have still been nominated, Smith's performance as a runaway slave in “Emancipation” didn't catch on. Last year's broadcast drew 15.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen, up 56% from the record-low audience of 10.5 million for the pandemic-marred 2021 telecast. This year, ABC is bringing back Jimmy Kimmel to host the March 12 ceremony, one that will surely be seen as a return to the site of the slap. Read More: Oscar Best Picture Winners: Looking Back at the Last 15 Years But larger concerns are swirling around the movie business. Last year saw flashes of triumphant resurrection for theaters, like the success of “Top Gun: Maverick,” after two years of pandemic. But partially due to a less steady stream of major releases, ticket sales for the year recovered only about 70% of pre-pandemic business. Regal Cinemas, the nation's second-largest chain, announced the closure of 39 cinemas this month. At the same time, storm clouds swept into the streaming world after years of once-seemingly boundless growth. Stocks plunged as Wall Street looked to streaming services to earn profits, not just add subscribers. A retrenchment has followed, as the industry again enters an uncertain chapter. In stark contrast to last year's Academy Awards, this year may see no streaming titles vying for the Oscars' most sought-after award — though the last spots in the 10-movie best-picture field remain up for grabs. Netflix's best shots instead are coming in other categories, notably with animated film favorite “Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio” and the German submission, “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Read More: Will Smith confronts Chris Rock, then wins best actor Oscar

Cicely Tyson, the pioneering Black actor who gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecropper’s wife in “Sounder,” won a Tony Award in 2013 at age 88 and touched TV viewers’ hearts in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” died Thursday at age 96.