No Bollywood films for Oscars

By Zubair Ahmed
BBC correspondent in Bombay

There will be no Indian films from the world's largest film industry, Bollywood, at next year's Oscars.

Recent films were judged 'un-Indian' - unlike Devdas last year

All the six films shortlisted as possible entrants for the awards have been rejected by the Film Federation of India (FFI).

The federation said they were too Westernised and did not reflect Indian culture.

The shortlisted films were Koi Mil Gaya, Gangajaal, Janantaram Mamanantaram (a film based on Gulliver's Travels), Jhankar Beats (Musical Beats), Andaaz and Jogger's Park.

'Not Indian enough'

FFI chairman Harmesh Malhotra was particularly critical of one of the new releases, Jogger's Park, which was half in English.

He told the BBC the other films seemed like remakes of English movies.

Mr Malhotra admitted many of them were good films and commercially successful.

But, according to him, the main criterion for Indian films being shortlisted for Oscars is that they should sound and look Indian.

He gave the example of Lagaan, a crossover film nominated for the Oscars last year.

Mr Malhotra regretted that the films were now increasingly portraying only the Westernised section of Indian society.

Bengali films and films from the four southern Indian states also failed to produce a single movie which could be shortlisted for the Oscars.

India produces more than 800 Hindi-language movies a year and its film industry has an estimated annual turnover of 60 billion rupees ($1.3 bn). It employs nearly six million people.