Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan in Lage Raho Munnabhai
Munnabhai's fans have managed to have things their way. Inundated with letters of praise from fans and audiences across the globe, producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra to decide to send Lage Raho Munnabhai to the 2007 Academy Awards as an independent entry.
Ken Naz of Eros International, USA will be preparing the applications to seek entry for the film at the Oscars.
Apart from this, Lage Raho has added another feather to its cap. It's been invited for a special screening at the University of Southern California (USC). Chopra will soon be visiting Los Angeles for the screening of the film.
Show of strength
Says Chopra, "The support that fans have been showing towards the film is immense. The film's website is a bright example of this. A lot of people have wanted this film to represent India. I believe Lage Raho is a good film and more people should be a part of it."
But isn't Rang De Basanti India's official entry for Oscars? "Let me clarify this. Roberto Benigni's Holocaust drama Life Is Beautiful had been entered for the Oscars in both the general category and foreign language category, and won awards in both the categories. We are projecting Lage Raho in the general category film, while RDB is vying for the honour in the foreign language category," explains Chopra.
The producer further informs, "A film needs to have a Hollywood release before December this year so as to enter the general category awards, and Lage Raho has already done that."
Has he spoken to the makers of RDB in order to avoid confusion? "There is no confusion. I know Rakeysh (Mehra) and Aamir (Khan) well and have high regard for them. RDB is a fabulous film. If I had been in the jury, I would have had a tough time selecting one of the films. It's possible to have more than one good film in a year," says Chopra.
About any specific preparations for the film's promotion, he says, "I've left that part to our distributor, Kishore Lulla and Ken. They will do the marketing. I am here to write and direct and that's all I do."
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