Every Indian Movie Submission To The Oscars for Best International Feature Film and Where to Stream Them

Published on

Despite only three Indian movies making the cut for the Best International Feature at the Oscars, India has regularly submitted a movie for the Academy’s consideration for many years since 1957. Have a look at every Indian submission at the Oscars’ prestigious global category along with our guide to stream them all.

What is the latest movie to be submitted for the Oscars Best International Feature?

The Malayalam disaster film 2018 (based on the Kerala floods in the titular year) was submitted as India’s official pick for the category but didn’t make it to the shortlist. You can stream the critically acclaimed and commercially successful drama on Sony LIV.

In the buildup to the 2023 Oscars, the Gujarati coming-of-age drama Last Film Show was picked over audience favourite RRR (despite RRR later winning in the Best Original Song category) and made it to the official shortlist of 15 movies. However, the Gujarati movie couldn’t progress any further for the final list of five nominees. As of now, you can stream the movie on Netflix.

How many Indian movies have been nominated for Best International Feature?

While most of India’s submissions couldn’t make it to the final nomination list, three Hindi-language movies have represented the country at the Academy Awards. These include India’s first-ever submission, Mehboob Khan's endearing family drama Mother India along with Mira Nair’s urban class drama Salaam Bombay and Ashutosh Gowariker’s sports epic Lagaan.

Mother India featured Nargis Dutt as a hardworking widowed farmer who toils on the field to provide for her family and ward off oppressive landlords. Salaam Bombay was Nair’s stellar debut featuring many young non-actors portraying the hardships of orphaned children in the slums of Mumbai. As for Lagaan, the Aamir Khan-starrer was set during the British Raj and recounted a cricket match played between a village’s inhabitants and their white overlords.

How many films has India submitted to the Oscars?

When it comes to the Best International Feature category, India has submitted a total of 56 films. Considering the linguistic diversity of the nation, 34 of these films were Hindi features while ten were in Tamil and four were in Malayalam (including the latest submission, 2018). Marathi was represented with three films and followed by two each in Gujarati and Bengali. One Assamese and one Telugu movie have also been selected.

When has India not submitted to the Oscars?

Since its notable first try with 1957’s Mother India, the Indian decision making body Film Federation of India (FFI) has occasionally strayed away from not sending a submission to the Academy up to the year 1984. From then onwards, the FFI has always sent an annual submission barring the year 2003 when it decided that no Indian film will be able to compete with submissions from other countries. Unsurprisingly, the decision was met with controversy among the Indian filmmaking community and the FFI has continued to submit movies every year.

Where can you stream Indian Best International Feature submissions?

Many of the recent submissions are available to watch on popular OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, Jio Cinema and ZEE5. Most of the older classics are available to watch on the same platforms along with Mubi, Shemaroo, Sun NXT, Hoichoi and more.

  1. 2018

    2018

    2023

    IMDB 8.4 (11k)

    #1

    A disaster film set during the 2018 Kerala Floods where people from all walks of life faced catastrophic consequences and put in collective efforts to survive the calamity.

  2. Last Film Show

    Last Film Show

    2022

    IMDB 7.4 (4k)

    #2

    A 9-year-old boy in a remote village in India begins a lifelong love affair with cinema when he bribes his way into a rundown movie palace and spends a summer watching movies from the projection booth.

  3. Pebbles

    Pebbles

    2021

    IMDB 6.9

    #3

    A young boy follows his violent and alcoholic father on a quest to find his mother, who has run away from his abuse.

    Watch Now

    Pebbles is not available for streaming.
    Let us notify you when you can watch it.

  4. Jallikattu

    Jallikattu

    2019

    IMDB 7.3 (9k)

    #4

    An escaped buffalo triggers a frenzy of ecstatic violence in a remote village.

  5. Gully Boy

    Gully Boy

    2019

    IMDB 7.9 (37k)

    #5

    A coming-of-age story based on the lives of street rappers in Mumbai.

  6. Village Rockstars

    Village Rockstars

    2018

    IMDB 7.2 (1k)

    #6

    In a small village in northeast India, 10-year-old Dhunu dreams of having her own rock band. Her vibrant spirit, imagination and self-assurance stand out in a world where girls are expected to be timid and submissive. With her gang of boys and the support of her widowed mother, Dhunu faces the struggles of her daily life and hopes for the day she can finally play on a real guitar.

  7. Newton

    Newton

    2017

    IMDB 7.6 (21k)

    #7

    A government clerk on election duty in a conflict-ridden jungle of Central India tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the apathy of security forces and the looming fear of guerrilla attacks by communist rebels.

    Watch Now

    Newton is not available for streaming.
    Let us notify you when you can watch it.

  8. Visaranai

    Visaranai

    2016

    IMDB 8.4 (12k)

    #8

    Pandi and his friends, immigrant workers in Andhra Pradesh, are picked up by cops for a crime they never committed. And thus begins their nightmare, where they become pawns in a vicious game where the voiceless are strangled by those with power.

  9. Court

    Court

    2015

    IMDB 7.6 (5k)

    #9

    A sewerage worker's dead body is found inside a manhole in Mumbai. An ageing folk singer is tried in court on charges of abetment of suicide. He is accused of performing an inflammatory song which might have incited the worker to commit the act. As the trial unfolds, the personal lives of the lawyers and the judge involved in the case are observed outside the court.

  10. Liar's Dice

    Liar's Dice

    2013

    IMDB 6.8 (1k)

    #10

    The film follows Kamala, a young woman from Chitkul village and her girl child Manya, who embarks on a journey leaving their native land in search for her missing husband. Along this journey she encounters Nawazudin, a free spirited army deserter who helps them to get to their destination with his own selfish motive.

    Watch Now

    Liar's Dice is not available for streaming.
    Let us notify you when you can watch it.

  11. The Good Road

    #11

    Pappu is a truck driver. Supporting his parents and extended family is beyond his means. Now, he has been presented a plan. An accident will be staged. Pappu will "die". Insurance payments are substantial.David and Kiran, a middle class urban couple, with their son Aditya, are on a holiday. Aditya will be accidentally separated from them during a brief halt at a Dhaba. And his loss will only be discovered several hours, and several hundred kilometers later. They must double back to find him. Poonam is an 11-year old-year-old child from the city.

    Watch Now

    The Good Road is not available for streaming.
    Let us notify you when you can watch it.

  12. Barfi!

    Barfi!

    2012

    IMDB 8.1 (86k)

    #12

    Three young people learn that love can neither be defined nor contained by society's definition of normal and abnormal.

  13. Abu, Son of Adam

    Abu, Son of Adam

    2011

    IMDB 7.8 (1k)

    #13

    Abu, a poor perfume seller, lives with his wife. The couple strives hard to make an honest attempt to go for the Hajj pilgrimage.

  14. Peepli Live

    Peepli Live

    2010

    IMDB 7.4 (12k)

    #14

    Natha decides to commit suicide to get the farmers' compensation. However, the media and politicians learn about his intentions and descend on their village to capture the rare event.

    Watch Now

    Peepli Live is not available for streaming.
    Let us notify you when you can watch it.

  15. Harishchandra's Factory

    #15

    In 1913 India's cinema industry is born from Dadasaheb Phalke's efforts to make Raja Harishchandra (1913), India's first feature-length B&W silent film.

  16. Like Stars on Earth

    Like Stars on Earth

    2007

    IMDB 8.3 (206k)

    #16

    Ishaan Awasthi is an eight-year-old whose world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate. Colours, fish, dogs, and kites don't seem important to the adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, marks, and neatness. Ishaan cannot seem to get anything right in class; he is then sent to boarding school, where his life changes forever.

    Watch Now

    Like Stars on Earth is not available for streaming.
    Let us notify you when you can watch it.

  17. Eklavya: The Royal Guard

    #17

    As the kingdom of Devigarh comes apart at the seams, an aging bodyguard attempts to protect the Royal Family, as well as keep its darkest secrets from ever coming to light.

  18. Rang De Basanti

    Rang De Basanti

    2006

    IMDB 8.1 (122k)

    #18

    After a group of friends graduate from Delhi University, they listlessly haunt their old campus, until a British filmmaker casts them in a film she's making about freedom fighters under British rule. Although the group is largely apolitical, the tragic death of a friend owing to local government corruption awakens their patriotism. Inspired by the freedom fighters they represent in the film, the friends collectively decide to avenge the killing.

  19. Paheli

    Paheli

    2005

    IMDB 6.4 (14k)

    #19

    Kishanlal marries the beautiful Lachchi, but the day after the wedding, he leaves on business for five years. When Kishanlal reappears only a few days later, Lachchi is delighted, but this new Kishanlal is in fact a spirit who has taken the form of Lachchi's husband, after having seen her by chance and fallen in love with her. Four years later, the real Kishanlal returns and the townsfolk must determine who is who.

  20. Shwaas

    Shwaas

    2004

    IMDB 8.2 (1k)

    #20

    This story is about how an old man tried to show his grandson the preciousness and beauty of life in a no win situation such as cancer. It is about keeping a positive attitude towards life.

    Watch Now

    Shwaas is not available for streaming.
    Let us notify you when you can watch it.