Indian Short Film Makes it to the Oscars

Indian cinema continues to make waves on the global stage. The short film, “Sunflowers Were the First One to Know,” has officially qualified for the 2025 Oscars in the live-action short film category.

Based on a Kannada folktale, this 16-minute film narrates the story of an elderly woman’s quest to find the thief who stole her chicken. The film’s recent success at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Best Short Film award, further solidified its position as a strong contender for the prestigious Academy Award.

Earlier this year, the film also clinched the top prize at the Bangalore International Short Film Festival. The film’s unique blend of storytelling, coupled with its universal themes, has resonated with audiences and critics alike.

This year, India has two strong contenders for the Oscars. “Laapataa Ladies,” directed by Kiran Rao, has been selected as India’s official entry in the International Feature Film category. This film, starring Sparsh Srivatsava, Nitanshi Goel, and Pratibha, has garnered critical acclaim and commercial success.

As the Indian film industry continues to evolve and gain international recognition, these two films represent the diversity and talent of Indian cinema.

Anupam Kher is left speechless after receiving special note from his “guru” Mahesh Bhatt

Veteran actor Anupam Kher took to social media to pen a heartfelt note for his “guru and friend” Mahesh Bhatt.The filmmaker congratulated Kher on completing 40 years in the Indian film industry with a special note. On Friday, the Special 26 actor took to his Instagram handle and dropped a photo featuring him and Bhatt. He also posted a picture of the handwritten note given by Mahesh. Alongside the image, the actor expressed his emotions through a lengthy note where he called Mahesh Bhatt a man who gave him his identity as an actor on screen.

Anupam wrote, “Sometimes pictures don’t capture all the emotions…What you can see is how excited I’m to receive this from my guru, friend, philosopher & guide #MaheshBhattSaab who congratulated me on completing 40 years in the Indian film industry! I have been fortunate to have received a lot of love for my work over the years but today, I feel, I have received the ultimate prize.”

He added, “What you don’t see in this picture are the many drops of tears that fell when this unfolded. You don’t see my emotions, you don’t see how this gesture of love and kindness from Bhatt Saab totally overwhelmed me and brought back so many memories. I kept reading what he has written for me and I was speechless. I couldn’t speak a word and sat down holding his hand in gratitude.”

“#BhattSaab is a man who gave me my identity as an actor on screen. He guided me to be the human and the artiste that I grew into. He transformed me on every level. I’m forever indebted to him for making me believe in myself.. THANK YOU BHATT SAAB! Thank you Mahesh Bhatt for making me feel like this on the release day of my most special film #Vijay69 You are the reason I’m here… #Vijay69onNetflix #YRFEntertainment @yrf @netflix_in,” the post further read.

Kher recently completed his 40 years in cinema.

The actor played the role of a 69-year-old old angry man, Vijay Matthew, who dares to dream big in the film Vijay 69. The film, which also stars Chunky Panday in supporting role, released on Netflix on November 8.