Marathi movie "Court" has become India's official entry for the Oscars, dodging popular films like "PK", "Baahubali", "Haider", "Kaaka Muttai" and "Kuttram Kadithal".
As many as 30 movies were in the race for India's official entry. A 16-member jury team headed by veteran filmmaker Amol Palekar sifted through the films and unanimously decided to send "Court" to represent India in the best foreign-language category at the Oscars.
"Court" is courtroom drama written and directed by Chaitanya Tamhane, who also made his debut as a director with the movie. It revolves around the story of a radical poet, who is accused of waging war against the State. The film examines the Indian legal system from the perspectives of the accused, the lawyer defending him, the public prosecutor and the judge presiding over the case.
Vira Sathidar, Vivek Gomber, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Pradeep Joshi, Usha Bane and Shirish Pawar have played important roles in "Court". Besides acting, Vivek Gomber has also produced the film, which has Sambhaji Bhagat's music, Mrinal Desai's cinematography and Rikhav Desai's editing.
"Court" was released in theatres in India on 17, April, 2015 and received critical acclaim. It was premiered at the 71st Venice International Film Festival on 4, September, 2014. The movie won the Best Film in the Horizons category and the Luigi De Laurentiis (Lion Of The Future) award for Tamhane.
Later, "Court" had special screenings in several national and international film festivals held in places like Mumbai, Vienna, Antalya and Singapore. The movie has won about 20 awards including the Best Feature Film award at the 62nd National Film Awards in 2015.
