Says Geetu Mohandas, the director of Liar's Dice which failed to make it to the Top 9 list at the Oscars.
Did you have apprehensions when you started the journey to the Academy Awards?
I didn’t get any negative reviews on Liar's Dice. But yeah, there were a section of the film fraternity who indulged in loose talk about my films eligibility. But I really don't care what people say or think. Besides being India's official entry to the Oscars, my film has won five international awards and travelled to 40 countries. I am not grumbling about anything except... (pauses).
Except what?
Except perhaps the difficulty I had in funding Liar's Dice.
Tell us about that.
It took me seven years to find finances to shoot the film. And after it was selected as India's official entry, I needed more money to take it to as many Academy Award jurors as possible. Most nations in the world shell out money for the filmmakers whose films are representing their country. In India, we have no such concept. I felt cheated and lonely no doubt.
Nobody helped you?
No, nobody from India. I wish that some studio/corporate house had. Mind you, my hard days are still not over. My film is not a mainstream film and I've still not managed to release it in India.
But a Malaysian gentleman did come forward, right?
That was my uncle Datuk Vinod Shekhar. Thanks to him, we got sufficient money to arrange plenty of screenings in the US for the jurors and get a good marketing team on board as well. We went by the book.
So, what went wrong? Why did Liar's not make it to the list of Top 9?
Nothing went wrong. Its just that there were many films better than mine. I have seen some of them. I had beaten some of them at international festivals, and some of those were directed by seasoned filmmakers and spectacular in every department. I dont know how far we got eventually in the Oscars. There were 83 nations competing and the Academy announces only the Top 9 films. They dont share any detailed information with anybody
Many Indian filmmakers feel that the system of selection at the Oscars is flawed. Comment.
Have you seen the other films from India which were in contention- Shahid, Mary Kom and Queen?
I loved most of them. But the jury liked my film more than them. It's as simple as that.
What's your next film?
Early days yet for me to talk about it. But yeah, I plan to make my second film with the same cast and crew of Liars Dice. I plan to take the film on floors by end of this year.