Guru, RRR, 2018: 5 South Indian movies that created an Oscar buzz

The Indian film industry's journey to the prestigious Oscar awards is not a recent development. Now the survival drama by Blessy and Prithviraj Sukumaran, 'Aadujeevitham - The Goat Life', is creating an Oscar buzz. South Indian cinema showcased its prowess as early as 1997 when the Malayalam film 'Guru' earned a spot on the nomination list. With the Telugu film 'RRR' clinching an Oscar for Best Original Music in 2023, the pride for the South Indian film industry reached new heights. Here's a recount of South Indian films' journey, including their nominations, official entries, and award victories at the Oscars.

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‘Guru’ is the first Malayalam film submitted by India for the Oscars. Directed by Rajiv Anchal, this 1997 fantasy drama featured Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Madhupal, Sithara, Kaveri, Sreelakshmi, Nedumudi Venu, and Sreenivasan in main roles. It was India’s official entry to the Best Foreign Language Film category then.

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Directed by Salim Ahamed, ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’ is a 2011 social drama with deep emotional narratives. It stars Salim Kumar and Zarina Wahab in main roles. It was India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 2011. However, it was not nominated. The film earned four National Film Awards: Best Film, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Background Score.

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In 2019, Lijo Jose Pellissery treated Mollywood with an action thriller film, ‘Jallikattu’. It is based on the short story ‘Maoist’ by Hareesh. It featured Antony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sabumon Abdusamad, and Santhy Balachandran in main roles. The director was awarded a Silver Peacock-Best Director trophy at the 50th International Film Festival of India. It was India’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards but could not make it to the nomination.

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Directed by SS Rajamouli, ‘RRR’ is a Telugu epic period action drama. It features Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran, and more in the main roles. The song "Naatu Naatu" by MM Keeravani won the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 95th Academy Awards. This is the first song from an Indian film, as well as the first from an Asian film, to win in this category. This is the first Indian film by an Indian production to win an Academy Award.

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This is a Malayalam survival drama film based on the 2018 Kerala floods that devastated many parts of the state. It is directed by Jude Anthany Joseph and features an ensemble cast including Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Narain, and Lal. It was India's official submission for the Academy Awards but could not make it to the list.

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