'Lapata Ladies' Out, 'Santosh' in the Oscars Race

India's official entry for the 97th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category, Lapata Ladies, has been eliminated from the race. Directed by Kiran Rao, the film failed to secure a spot in the Oscars shortlist announced by the Academy on Wednesday.

Out of the 15 shortlisted films, five will advance to the final nominations. However, Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri’s film Santosh, which was submitted by the UK, has made it to the shortlist. Starring Indian actors Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, the film has garnered international attention.

The other shortlisted films in the category include:

• Emilia Perez (France)
• I Am Still Here (Brazil)
• Universal Language (Canada)
• Waves (Czech Republic)
• The Girl with the Needle (Denmark)
• The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany)
• Touch (Iceland)
• Niqaab (Ireland)
• Vermiglio (Italy)
• Flow (Latvia)
• Armand (Norway)
• From Ground Zero (Palestine)
• Dahomey (Senegal)
• How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (Thailand)

The final Oscar nominations will be announced on January 17.