Click to play videoNew Delhi: Slumdog Millionaire is not the only Indian connection at the Oscars. Two documentaries - Smile Pinki and The Final Inch - which are about life in India and shot in the country have also made their way into the nominations for 'Best Short Documentary'.
Slumdog Millionaire with its 10 Oscar nominations and recent BAFTA sweeps is certainly India's trump card at the Oscars.
Smile Pinki, a 39-minute short film in Hindi and Bhojpuri, directed by Emmy nominated producer Megan Mylan is set in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
The story is about Pinki, a six-year-old from Mirzapur who is born with cleft lips and cannot go to school because of this disorder. She faces social ostracism until she meets Pankaj, a social worker who ensures that Pinki gets a free surgery.
The Oscar nomination for the documentary not only sent Pinki to school, but also made her a star overnight, as she will now be flying to attend the ceremony with her doctor and her father.
“Because of my daughter's destiny we will go to the Oscars and win it for sure,” a visibly excited Pinki's father said.
Another film in the running for the Best Short Documentary Oscar is The Final Inch. Directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant, the film follows polio workers across India in their efforts to eradicate the disease. It also deals with the protagonist Muhammed Gulzar's battle with polio.
Both documentaries take a provocative stance at the efforts being carried out to address social and medical issues in India. Let's hope that they add to the country's Oscar laurel.
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