Amid the excitement surrounding the Oscars 2023, a controversy has arisen online regarding Indian cinema being mistaken for Bollywood. Millions of Indian fans are eagerly hoping for their favorite song, “Naatu Naatu,” to win the Best Original Song award.
However, during his opening monologue, Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel referred to the highly anticipated film RRR as a Bollywood movie, which has caused disappointment and frustration among Indian cinema fans.
Director Rajamouli has been actively promoting RRR as a Telugu-language Indian film, and some netizens have criticized the Academy for not recognizing the film’s roots correctly. The incident has sparked a debate online about the lack of awareness and knowledge of Indian cinema within the international film community.
It remains to be seen whether the Academy or Jimmy Kimmel will respond to the criticism. Nevertheless, this incident highlights the importance of recognizing the diversity and richness of Indian cinema, beyond the Bollywood genre.