13 South Indian movie submissions that failed to qualify for the Oscar nominations!
'Deiva Magan' (1969) – Tamil
The above drama film written and directed by AC Tirulokchander is the 5th adaption of the Bengali Novel ‘Ulka’ by Nihar Ranjan Gupta stars Sivaji Ganesan in multiple roles and Jayalalithaa playing the female lead. The film talked about a scarred man who attempts to reconnect with his estranged family and failed to register for the nomination at the Oscars.
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'Swati Mutyam' (1986) – Telugu
This Telugu language drama film written and directed by K. Vishwanath and produced by Edida Nageswara Rao starred Kamal Haasan and Raadhika playing the lead roles depicts the plight of a young widow who is rescued by an autistic man.
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'Nayakan' (1987) – Tamil
Nayagan (1987) is an epic crime drama film written and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film starred Kamal Haasan and Saranya in the lead roles and it revolved around the transformation of an ordinary slum dweller named Velu into a feared don through various stages of his life. The film is said to be loosely based on the life of the Bombay underworld don Varadarajan Mudaliar and the American film The Godfather (1972) failed to mint the nomination.
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'Anjali' (1990) – Tamil
This is yet another Maniratnam film from Tamil, Anjali children's drama film written and directed by Mani Ratnam it stars Raghuvaran and Revathi in the lead roles while Tarun, Shruti and Shamili played the supporting roles. The film deals with the story of a dying and mentally disabled child, and the emotional trauma experienced by her family, it failed to register the nomination at the oscar Jury.
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'Thevar Magan' (1992) – Tamil
Thevar Magan is a 1992 action drama film by Kamal Haasan and directed by Bharathan, it starred Sivaji Ganesan, Revathi, Gautami, Nassar and others playing other important roles and tells the story of a respected village Chieftain's son who wants to open a business but who father wants him to help the villagers.
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'Kuruthipunal' (1995) – Tamil
Kuruthipunal is a 1995 action thriller film by cinematographer PC Sreeram starring Kamal Haasan, Arjun, Nassar, Gautami and Geetha in the lead roles is a Tamil remake of the Hindi film 'Drohakaal(1994)' and the film revolves around two police officers those were seeking to curb a terrorist group.
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'Indian' (1996) – Tamil
Indian is yet another Tamil Vigilante action film that was written and directed by Shankar starring Kamal Haasan in the dual role, while Nedumudi Venu, Sukanya, Manisha Koirala and Urmila Matondkar played other important roles. The film focuses on an ex-freedom fighter who turned vigilante to root out corruption which leads to some unfortunate events including killing his son. The film was a major commercial success but failed to register a nomination at the American Academy Awards.
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'Guru' (1997) – Malayalam
'Guru' is a 1997 Malayalam fantasy drama film directed by Rajiv Anchal and written by C.G. Rajendra Babu. Mohan Lal plays the lead while Suresh Gopi, Madhupal, Sithara and others play other important roles in the film which has its music composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The film tells the story of a local Hindu temple priest and how they live in harmony with fellow Muslims amid political goons.
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'Jeans' (1998) - Tamil
This 1998 Tamil romantic comedy film by S. Shankar stars Prashanth and Nassar in double roles along with Aishwarya Rai, while Lakshmi, Raadhika Sarath Kumar and Raj Sundaram play the supporting roles. The film tells the love story of two identical twins and it was one of the most expensive Indian films made at the time of its release and was an official entry to the Oscars in 1998 under the Best Foreign Language film category but it failed to register a nomination.
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'Hey Ram' (2000) – Tamil/Hindi
This 2000 crime period drama is written, directed and produced by Kamal Haasan that was made simultaneously in Tamil and Hindi languages that tell the story of India's partition and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse. This official Indian submission too failed to register a nomination at the Academy Awards.
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'Adaminte Makan Abu' (2011) - Malayalam
'Adaminte Makan Abu' is a 2011 Malayalam social drama film written and directed by Salim Ahamed. The film tells the story of a poor attar seller Abu whose only remaining wish in life is the Hajj Pilgrimage, which he strives hard to fulfil. The film too failed the get a nomination at the 2011 Oscars.
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'Visaranai' (2016) - Tamil
'Visaranai' (2016) - Tamil
Visaranai is a 2015 Telugu crime drama film by Vetrimaaran. It is based on the novel 'Lock up' by M. Chandra Kumar. The film deals with the lives of two men before and after being thrown into a Kafkaesque scenario in which they get tortured for confession. The film failed to mint the oscar nomination despite being an official y entry from India under the 'Best Foreign Language Film category.
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'Jallikattu' (2020) - Malayalam
This Independent action thriller film by Lijo Jose Pellissery is based on a short story by Maoist Hareesh and it tells the story of a bull that escapes from the slaughterhouse in a hilly remote village and the entire village men gathering to hunt down the animal. Though the film received widespread critical acclaim. It failed to register a nomination at the 93rd Academy Awards.
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