The much-vaunted Grand Indian Premiere of the worldwide hit David O Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook(SLP) where our own Anupam Kher stars alongside the formidable Robert de Niro, has been cancelled. Unceremoniously. Apparently the premiere’s Indian sponsors decided to back out at the last minute since SLP, a worldwide blockbuster expected to garner several Oscars next week, is not seen to be of much interest to Indian audiences.

Critically acclaimed film Jalpari – The Desert Mermaid has been submitted as a direct entry for the Academy Awards.

After wooing the audiences worldwide, Nikhil Advani’s animated adventure Delhi Safari has made its grand entry to world’s most prestigious movie recognition award ceremony. The film has been shortlisted for the 85th Academy Awards in the animation category. Directed by Nikhil Advani, Delhi Safari is a rarity in Hindi cinema, an animated family film with real world themes about urban sprawl and the effects of humanity on the global ecosystem. The idea of this film came to Advani on one of many long nature walks that he enjoys taking with his six year old daughter.

Moviechakkar recently carried an article which stated director Shoojit Sircar’s discontentment with producer Eros International for not submitting his film <em>Vicky Donor</em> as an Indian entry to the Oscars. We caught up with the man and dug deep on the issue. Here’s what he said… <strong>Shoojit, you’ve made a press statement lashing out at your <em>Vicky Donor</em> producers Eros International for not submitting your film as an Indian entry to the Oscars? </strong>

Giving films like Kahaani, The Dirty Picture and Paan Singh Tomar and several others a nudge, UTV-Disney’s Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz-starrer Barfi has been chosen as India’s official entry to the Academy awards this year. The film tells the story of Barfi, a mute and deaf boy in Darjeeling, and his relation with two girls, one of whom is autistic. On the whole, the film centers around these three young people who learn that love can neither be defined nor contained by society's norms of normal and abnormal.