Shoojit Sircar Breaks Silence on Sardar Udham Not Being Sent For Oscars Over ‘Hatred For British’ Issue

Sardar Udham director Shoojit Sircar reacts to the news of his film not being sent to the Oscars because the jury members felt it showed 'hatred towards the British'.

Published: October 27, 2021 1:49 PM IST

By India.com Entertainment Desk | Edited by Vineeta Kumar

Shoojit Sircar Breaks Silence on Sardar Udham Not Being Sent For Oscars Over 'Hatred For British' Issue
Shoojit Sircar Breaks Silence on Sardar Udham Not Being Sent For Oscars Over 'Hatred For British' Issue (Photo Courtesty: Instagram/ Vicky Kaushal)

Mumbai: With its cinematic brilliance, a story that needed to be told, and terrific performances, a part of the audience felt Sardar Udham would have been India’s official entry to Oscars this year. However, the jury didn’t pick the Shoojit Sircar-directorial and instead had a Tamil film titled Koozhangal, directed by Vinothraj PS, as this year’s submission to the 94th Academy Awards last week.

While this triggered a whole new debate on social media, the reason that one of the jury members gave for not selecting Sardar Udham added fuel to the fire. Now, Sircar spoke on the same and why he ‘respects’ the decision of the jury.

Shoojit Sircar on his film Sardar Udham not being selected as India’s official entry at Oscars

As reported by News18, the director of the Vicky Kaushal starrer said selecting a film for Oscars is a very ‘subjective’ decision, and he is aware of the film that was eventually chosen by the jury. During his latest media interaction, Shoojit Sircar said, “It is a personal opinion, it is very subjective, I have no comment on that. I respect the jury and their decision. The film that was finally selected, I know about it, and I am glad that it was chosen. I go by the jury’s decision.”

Sardar Udham Singh has a ‘delayed climax’, and it ‘projects our hatred towards the British’: Jury

Earlier, while reasoning why they didn’t select Sardah Udham for India’s official entry to Oscars, Indraadip Dasgupta, one of the jury members said, “Sardar Udham is a little lengthy and harps on the Jallianwala Bagh incident. It is an honest effort to make a lavish film on an unsung hero of the Indian freedom struggle. But in the process, it again projects our hatred towards the British. In this era of globalization, it is not fair to hold on to this hatred.”

Another jury member, Sumit Basu, blamed the decision on the length of the film. He said, “Many have loved Sardar Udham for its cinematic quality including camerawork, editing, sound design, and depiction of the period. I thought the length of the film was an issue. It has a delayed climax. It takes a lot of time for a viewer to feel the real pain for the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.”

Why did Shoojit Sircar make a movie on Sardar Udham Singh?

Earlier, while explaining the reason behind bringing the story of Sardar Udham Singh on the celluloid, Sircar had told India Today that he wanted this story of a revolutionary to be seen and heard beyond Punjab. He said, “In history, there was not much about Udham Singh. He was a visionary, a revolutionary with purpose, he had a larger purpose. Beyond Punjab, many people don’t know about him. It’s my perspective of how I see a revolutionary. There are many ways to see a revolutionary, it’s my vision.”

After the film released on Amazon Prime Video on October 16, it garnered appreciation for Vicky Kaushal who played the titular role. The film is based on the assassination of Michael O’Dwyer, Punjab lieutenant governor in 1940 following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. Sardar Udham is written by Ritesh Shah and Shubhendu Bhattacharya.

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