‘All We Imagine As Light was very poor technically’: FFI responds amid ‘Laapataa Ladies’ failure to be shortlisted for the Oscars

As ‘Laapataa Ladies’ failed to be shortlisted for the Oscars, many slammed the Film Federation of India (FFI) for not selecting Cannes Grand Prix winner ‘All We Imagine As Light’

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Filmmaker Hansal Mehta and Grammy award-winning composer Ricky Kej have not been shy to share their disappointment in the Film Federation of India (FFI) for selecting Kiran Rao directorial Laapataa Ladies over Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light.

The debate over whether the federation had made the right choice has been swirling around the internet since the decision was announced in September.

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Now, in an interview with the Hindustan Times, Jahnu Barua, the head of the 13-member jury of the FFI, has spoken out, defending their decision.

“That is very uncalled for actually. Why should people say such things? It is very unfortunate. People should try to accept it as the jury’s decision. I have had many of my films go to many competitions, at some places they were awarded, and at some places, they failed to win. That doesn’t mean I should have a negative review of that process... We should be respectful towards the process,” Barua said.

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When he was asked about the backlash the federation has been receiving, Barua simply responded, “Well, they were not in the jury, that's all”.

Though he failed to comment on what factor led to the selection of Laapataa Ladies, he said, “People need to understand that it was a democratic process that one has to go through. And the country needs to accept whatever the verdict is.”

“The jury felt that the films which have gone to the Oscars in the last few years lacked Indian-ness. A film needs to represent the nation. We felt that Laapataa Ladies had all the right elements, and presented the social chaos we go through brilliantly,” he added.

When asked why the Malayalam-Hindi film All We Imagine As Light was dismissed in the selection process, Barua said, “The jury felt that her film was very poor technically”.

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