Datanomics: Social dramas dominate India's Oscar entries historically

The Academy Awards were presented on March 16. Between 1929 and 2025, only three Indian films and two Indian individuals won the Oscars. The Film Federation of India has submitted 58 films for the Best International Feature Film category between 1957 and 2026, of which about 49 per cent were dominated by social themes.

 

Hindi films top the charts

 

Of the 58 films submitted, 35 were Hindi and nine Tamil — most of them were social or historical dramas. 

 

Technical awards dominate

 

Technical Achievement Award, Scientific and Engineering Award, and Writing are the categories in which most Oscars have been awarded globally. 

 

India’s Oscar journey 

 

The first Indian to receive an Oscar was Bhanu Athaiya for the British movie Gandhi (1983). In 2023, Telugu movie RRR won the Best Original Song.