Lagaan strong contender for Oscars: Report

london: lagaan, the indian entry for the oscars in the best foreign film category, seems to have stirred up a controversy here through its powerful indictment of the british rule, and is said to be a strong contender for the coveted award. the film, which portrays the british in india as ruthless sadists and mafia-style crooks, has reportedly found favour with the us film establishment and is seen as a strong contender, alongside french film amelie, the sunday telegraph said.the three-hour epic, which has already won a prize at the 54th locarno film festival in switzerland, has ruffled many a feather among the british. andrew roberts, a leading historian here has condemned the film as 'inaccurate', accusing the producers of 'over-playing' the negative aspects of the british raj and ignoring its many benefits. "british empire in india brought peace, progress and stability to the country for 200 years". meanwhile, paul blackthorne, who played the character of captain andrew russell in the movie, has defended the film. "the british at the time were not far short of mafiosi and the film depicts them quite accurately. you would be hard-pressed to find a goodie at that time", he said. rachel shelley, who co-stars in the film, agreed. "i have read a lot of history and depictions of india by victorian women at that time. i don't think anyone would disagree that we (british) were quite awful. the colonialists who were out there were quite terrible and they thought of themselves as superior", she said. the last indian film to have won an oscar for best foreign film was mother india in 1950s.