Do the Jury’s Reasons for Rejecting Sardar Udham for the Oscars 2022 Hold Merit?

Jury for India's entry to the Oscars rejected Sardar Udham for it's length and 'projecting hatred for the British.'

Vicky Kaushal-starrer Sardar Udham was rejected as India's entry for the Oscars 2022.

(Photo Courtesy: IMDb)

The Tamil film Koozhangal was selected as India's official entry for the 2022 Oscars. Vicky Kaushal-starrer Sardar Udham, based on the revolutionary Sardar Udham Singh who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

The Indian jury talked about their reasons for removing Sardar Udham from the Oscars race. One jury member, Sumit Basu blamed the film's length and delayed climax. Another member, Indraadip Dasgupta said that the film "projects our hatred towards the British."

Does Sardar Udham portray hatred for the British? While Basu's views are subjective, has the film's length affected it's run at the Oscars?

The jury also had, well deserved, praise for Koozhangal. "It has no agenda attached to it," Dasgupta said. However, the Academy Awards are no stranger to films with agenda. Is an agenda valid reason to reject a film?

Anchor: Pratikshya Mishra

Video Editor: Veeru Krishnan Mohan