New Delhi, 18 Dec

‘Laapataa Ladies’, India's official entry in the Best International Feature category at the 97th Academy Awards, is out of the Oscars race but Sandhya Suri's Hindi film ‘Santosh’, representing the UK, has advanced to the next round.

Directed by Kiran Rao, Laapataa Ladies (Lost Ladies in English) failed to make it to the shortlist of 15 films that will be vying for a spot in the final five, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced on Wednesday. The final Oscar nominations will be announced on 17 January.

According to the Academy, 85 countries or regions had submitted films that were eligible for consideration in the International Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. "'Laapataa Ladies' (Lost Ladies) did not make it to the Academy Awards shortlist this year, and we are of course disappointed, but equally we are immensely grateful for the incredible support and belief we’ve received throughout this journey," Aamir Khan Productions, Jio Studios and Kindling Productions, which backed the movie, said in a joint statement. "We congratulate the teams of all the top 15 shortlisted films and wish them the very best in the next stages of the awards."

‘Santosh’, a Hindi-language crime drama from British-Indian filmmaker Suri and featuring acclaimed actors Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, has found a spot in the final 15 as the official entry from the UK. "So happy for the team, especially our writer-director Sandhya Suri for this little glory of recognition for our film 'Santosh'! How incredible to be shortlisted from amongst 85 films. Thank you to everyone who loved it, supported it and voted for it," Goswami posted on Instagram.

The list also includes France's "Emilia Perez", "I'm Still Here" (Brazil), "Universal Language" (Canada), "Waves" (Czech Republic), "The Girl with the Needle" (Denmark), and "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" from Germany.

The other contenders are "Touch" (Iceland), "Kneecap" (Ireland), "Vermiglio" (Italy), "Flow" (Latvia), "Armand" (Norway), "From Ground Zero" (Palestine), "Dahomey" (Senegal), and "How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies" (Thailand).

Santosh, which premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, is set in Uttar Pradesh and revolves around a newly widowed housewife (Goswami) as she inherits her late husband's job as a police constable and becomes embroiled in the investigation of a Dalit girl's murder.

The film is an international co-production of the UK, India, Germany and France. It has been hailed as a "deft thriller" and complex character study of a female cop whose moral conflict intertwines several themes of class, caste and intolerance.

Besides Santosh, ‘Anuja’ is another film with an Indian connection that has made it to the next stage of the Oscars. It is one of the 15 films to be selected in the Live Action Short category.

The New Delhi-set short film follows a gifted nine-year-old Anuja, who must make a choice between education and factory work alongside her sister - a decision that will shape both their futures. It stars Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag.

‘Anuja’ is directed by Adam J Graves and Suchitra Mattai, and has two-time Oscar winning producer Guneet Monga on board as executive producer and Hollywood star-writer Mindy Kaling as producer.