Ketan Mehta awaits 'official' word on heading India's Oscar jury

Filmmaker Ketan Mehta says he is still to get an "official confirmation" of his appointment as head of the jury that will pick India's official Oscar entry for next year.

According to media reports, the Film Federation of India (FFI) has started the process to pick the film that will officially represent India at the 89th Academy Awards next year.

There are rumours that Mehta, known for framing real-life stories in an unconventional way on the silver screen, has been approached to head the 17-member jury that comprises technicians and artistes from within the film industry to pick the film.

When IANS contacted Mehta to confirm the news, he said: "I am still to get an official confirmation."

Mehta is famous for films like "Sardar", "Mangal Pandey: The Rising", "Rang Rasiya" and his last release "Manjhi: The Mountain Man".

Now he is making "Rani Laxmi Bai", a biopic on the Rani of Jhansi, one of the leaders of the First Indian War of Independence in 1857, with Kangana Ranaut.

Last year, Chaitanya Tamhane's debut Marathi movie "Court", a courtroom drama which won a National Film Award, was chosen as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 88th Academy Awards.

The FFI jury was headed by veteran actor-filmmaker Amol Palekar last year.

--IANS

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