Siruthai Siva’s directorial ‘Kanguva’ starring Suriya and Bobby Deol was among the most anticipated films of 2024. However, upon release, the film disappointed fans and only recovered a third of its budget at the box office. Developed on a whopping budget of 300-350 crores, it raked up only 106 crores. Now, the list of eligible films for the Oscars 2025 race is out. In a surprising move, ‘Kanguva’ is a contender among five other Indian titles like ‘All We Imagine as Light’ and ‘Girls Will Be Girls.’ Netizens are shocked by the news and have taken to social media to vent their anger.

Film industry analyst Manobala Vijayabalan shared the news on X. He wrote, “BREAKING: Kanguva ENTERS Oscars 2025,” along with the contender’s list. The tweet quickly went viral, evoking a spree of shocked reactions from users. One user wrote, “Kanguva at the Oscars? What’s next, a Grammy for the soundtrack?”. Meanwhile, another questioned, “Under which category? Worst film of the year?”

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Under which category? Worst film of the year?

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— Falih ahamed (@NoRetrieveNo) January 7, 2025

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed that 323 feature films have been selected as eligible for the 97th Academy Awards. Out of these, 207 movies meet the requirements for the Best Picture category. Six contenders in this list are Indian films— ‘Kanguva’ (Tamil), ‘Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life’ (Hindi), ‘Santosh’ (Hindi), ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’ (Hindi), ‘All We Imagine as Light’ (Malayalam-Hindi) and ‘Girls will be Girls’ (Hindi-English).

Also Read: ‘Aadujeevitham’ nominated for Golden Reel Awards for sound design

Meanwhile, Kiran Rao’s directorial, ‘Laapataa Ladies’ was India’s official entry for the Oscars 2025. However, the slice-of-life film failed to make the shortlist and is out of the race for the Best International Feature.

Voting for nominations will begin tomorrow, January 8, 2025. It will conclude on January 12, 2025. Moreover, the Academy will announce the final nominations on January 17, 2025. Additionally, the Oscars 2025 ceremony will take place on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood.