British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri’s ‘Santosh’ shortlisted for Oscars

British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri’s debut feature film, Santosh, has been shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards. Representing the UK, Santosh stars Indian actors Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar and is one of the 15 films vying for a spot in the final five nominees, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced on Wednesday morning.

Santosh tells the story of a newly widowed housewife (played by Goswami) who inherits her late husband’s job as a police constable and becomes embroiled in the investigation of a young girl’s murder. The film, which marks Suri’s feature directorial debut, is joined on the shortlist by other international contenders such as France’s Emilia Pérez, Brazil’s I’m Still Here, and Germany’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig.

India’s official entry for the Oscars, Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies (Lost Ladies), did not make it to the shortlist. The Hindi-language feminist drama, set in rural India in the early 2000s, revolves around two brides who are accidentally swapped during a train journey on their wedding day. Backed by Aamir Khan Productions and Jio Studios, the film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 and received widespread acclaim.

Sandhya Suri poses during a photocall for the film "Santosh" at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 21, 2024. Getty Images

Besides Santosh, another film with Indian connections, Anuja, has advanced to the next stage in the Live Action Short Film category. Co-directed by Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai, Anuja focuses on a gifted nine-year-old girl in New Delhi who must choose between education and factory work alongside her sister.

The final Oscar nominations will be announced on January 17, with the awards ceremony scheduled for March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.