Highlights
- "Very happy to share this news," tweeted Rajkummar Rao
- "The best choice in years by the federation," tweeted Hansal Mehta
- Newton opened today to superb reviews
Not only is the newly-released
Newton winning hearts (if not the box office - yet), Rajkummar Rao's latest offering is India's official entry to the Oscars next year. "Very happy to share this news... congratulations team," Rajkummar, who plays a government officer in the film, confirmed in a tweet. "The best choice in years by the federation," responded Hansal Mehta, director of Rajkummar's
Shahid and other previous outings. An official document tweeted by trade analyst Ramesh Bala reveals that Newton, a hard look at India's political and electoral system, was picked out of 26 films by a jury of 14 members. See all the tweets here.
Twitter is flooded with congratulatory messages and 'Oscars' features on the list of trends.
Newton, directed by Amit V Masurkar, opened today to superb reviews. NDTV.com's Saibal Chatterjee gave it 4 stars, writing: "(RajkummarRao) is perfect as the eponymous Everyman who lets no doubt get in the way of his mission. The actor stamps his class both on the role and the tale." Raja Sen rated it 3.5 stars and praised the performances of both Rajkummar Rao and co-star Pankaj Tripathi. The performances of cast members Raghubir Yadav and Anjali Patil have also been well-received.
Amitabh Bachchan is also a fan, calling the film "an eye opener" in a tweet.
India's submission to the Oscars last year was
Visaranai, produced by Dhanush. Previous entries have included small but highly-regarded films such as
Court and Liar's Dice. No Indian film since
Lagaan in 2001 has made it to the final five of the Oscar nominations, and no Indian film has ever won.