Shahana Goswami on Santosh making it to Oscars shortlist: India has every reason to be proud it

ByYashika Mathur

Actor Shahana Goswami's film Santosh has inched closer to being nominated for the International Feature Film category at the 97th Oscars. Speaking to us about the news, Shahana, who plays a cop in the film, says, “I feel really happy, proud and encouraged by this selection. It’s a moment of celebration for (director) Sandhya Suri (and) for all of us.”

The film is an international co-production of the United Kingdom, India, Germany and France. And while it was UK's official entry to the Oscars, Shahana feels that India should be proud of the film regardless.

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"I don't believe in the segregation of this is mine and that is yours. There is a huge Indian team involved. India has every reason to be proud of it as well. I don't think it is a country specific thing. It's more thematic. It's about storytelling and diversity. It doesn't matter where the film comes from, the story is still rooted in India," Shahana says.

Now shortlisted, Santosh will compete with 14 other films to get an Oscar nomination. The 38-year-old, who is optimistic about their chances, says, “I will be very happy if it plays out that way and if it doesn’t, then it’s okay. But I do have a gut feeling about the film going through the nominations.”

Meanwhile, India's official entry to Oscars, Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies failed to make it to the Oscars shortlist.