Bollywood film Sardar Udham (2021) has successfully managed to strike a chord with the audience. Ever since its premiere on Amazon Prime Video, the film has been receiving an overwhelming response from everywhere. It was even in the race to be selected as India’s official entry to the 94th Academy Awards before Tamil drama Koozhangal (Pebbles), directed by filmmaker Vinothraj PS, was picked by a 15-member jury in a unanimous decision.
Days later, a few members of the jury said that they did not select Sardar Udham as India’s official entry to the Oscars 2022 because it showed hatred towards the British. For the uninitiated, the Shoojit Sircar directorial is a biographical drama based on the life of Udham Singh, a freedom fighter from Punjab, who is known for assassinating Michael O'Dwyer in London to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar.
After Sircar, Kaushal has now shared his thoughts on Sardar Udham not making it to the Oscars. “Everybody has the right to their opinion. We have a jury (comprising) experts in cinema. They made a selection, and we have to respect that selection. I have not seen the Tamil film, but Shoojitda has seen it and is gung-ho about it. I am sure it is the best decision taken for Indian cinema to be on a global platform. We should now root for the film that is selected, and hope that it brings us glory,” said the National Film Award-winning actor who is receiving rave reviews for his exceptional performance in the film.
Sardar Udham, also featuring Banita Sandhu in an important role, is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. It is jointly produced via Rising Sun Films and Kino Works.