Suriya's Jai Bhim Out of Oscar Race

Suriya's Jai Bhim is out of the Oscar race. The Tamil film was one of the long list of 276 movies that were eligible for the Academy Awards this year.

Social Media Buzz
There was a lot of buzz on social media about whether the Tamil flick would make it to the top five. The New York Times film critic Kyle Buchana asked this question on Twitter, "Which Oscar nomination could provoke the biggest reaction from you tomorrow morning?"

Plenty of netizens responded to this question but one of the top answers was Jai Bhim. Jacqueline Coley, Awards Editor at reviewing aggregating website Rotten Tomatoes, gave thumbs up for the Suriya starrer. "#JaiBhim for Best Picture. Trust me on this one," she wrote.

When informed that the film featured on the Academy Screening Room, she wrote, "The entire continent would lose it. Trust." her posts have now gone viral among the fans of the Tamil films.

True Story
Jai Bhim, which raised the hackles of the PMK, a political party in Tamil Nadu that represents mainly the Vanniyar community, is based on a true incident in 1993, involving a case fought by former Madras High Court Justice K. Chandru, when he was an advocate. Behind him in this legal battle was Sengeni's wife, Rajakannu.

The movie tells how tribals are framed in false cases and their struggle to get justice through K Chandra forms the crux of the story. However, the movie exposes how the corrupt system denied the basic rights to its own citizens

Apart from Jai Bhim, Mohanlal's Malayalam film Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham was also in the race.

Directed by Priyadarshan, 'Marakkar' is one of the most expensive films in the history of Malayalam cinema. It narrates the epic tale of Kunjali Marakkar IV, a Malabar sea lord and his epic battles against the Portuguese. The movie had won three National Awards -- Best Feature Film, Best Special Effects and Best Costume Design.

It has to be noted that Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan are the Indian films which had made it to the top five in the Best International Feature category.