Oscar favourite: 'The Wolf', 'Gravity' tops Bollywood directors' list

Mumbai, Feb 20 (IANS) Oscar is round the corner and Indian filmmakers have their list of favourites ready and "The Wolf Of Wall Street", "Gravity" and "12 Year's A Slave" top the list.

The best picture nominations for 2014 are "American Hustle", "Captain Phillips", "Dallas Buyers Club", "Gravity", "Her", "Nebraska", "Philomena", "12 Years a Slave", "The Wolf of Wall Street" and the final result will be announced at the March 2 gala in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, the Indian filmmakers take their pick:

Sudhir Mishra: My Oscar for best film would have to go to Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf Of Wall Street". It's Scorsese's best film since "Good Fellas". People, who have objected to the tone of the film don't understand it's the world that Scorsese has depicted that's squirmy, and not the way it is portrayed. It's a world of corruption and depravity and the film goes at it full-on."

Sujoy Ghosh: I want Stephen Frears' "Philomena" to win. There's no way it'd win. But that's the one I love the most. She is the one who stayed with me.

Shoojit Sircar: It's a toss-up between Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" and Scorsese's "The Wolf Of Wall Street".

Amole Gupte: My choice is "Gravity". It's the 21st Century Solaris

Ajay Bahl: I loved "The Wolf Of Wall Street". I think it's Leonardo DiCaprio's best performance to date.

Raj Nidimoru: Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" hands-down. It's a spectacular achievement where unprecedented craft meets beautiful human emotions. A spectacle we experience only once in a while. What is interesting is that the principal actors have not been nominated. But the film on the whole shines over the others.

Bejoy Nambiar: "Gravity" is my choice, though I loved "The Wolf Of Wall Street" a lot more. But I still think "Gravity" is a path-breaking cinematic experience. It will almost surely take the best picuture Oscar.

Prawaal Raman: "12 Years A Slave". It beautifully portrays the spirit of survival against all odds.

Santosh Sivan: "Gravity" is awesome. It touches a new cinematic level.

Ananth Mahadevan: Steve McQueen's "12 Years A Slave". The depiction of the dilemma of a man unjustly sold as a slave captures a regrettable chapter of American history. McQueen paints a heartrending picture. I prefer the human drama to the other nominees.

Sahil Sangha: As a diehard Scorsese fan I'd want to see "The Wolf Of Wall Street" win. "Gravity" is another favourite because it is a rare exception that given the technical boundaries it has pushed, it still touches us as a human story. Jean-Marc Vallée's "Dallas Buyers Club" and "Philomena" are also excellent.