I was going to make this simply “best”, but that’s subjective. Of course this is subjective as well, but I give you a clear definition.
So you don’t have to trust your memory, here is a list to get you started of the biggest best films of the year:
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga
Gully Boy
Badla
Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota
Notebook
Kalank
Student of the Year 2
De De Pyaar De
Bharat
Article 15
Saaho
Dream Girl
The Zoya Factor
War
Housefull 4
Pati Patni Aur Woh
Dabangg 3
Good Newwz
Oof, this is hard! Kalank has that epic historical feel, but is BAD. Gully Boy and Article 15 have that gritty “real” feel but are both heavily inspired by Hollywood Oscar nominees (8 Mile and Mississippi Burning). Pati Patni Aur Woh is legitimately extremely well made, but it’s a light farce, and the Oscars don’t like farce.
Hmm. Personally, I would go with Article 15. Well made, serious “important” topic, and no big song sequences to turn people off.
How about you?
dontcallitbollywood 
Hollywood likes the underbelly / underdog stories, a category both Article 15 and Gully Boy fit into. But Article 15 has both an underdog (who is really an overdog, but an underdog in the town) AND a really bad & secret underbelly. Gully Boy’s underbelly isn’t really that under, and it isn’t secret (I love the tourists walking through his house), so Article 15 is probably more Hollywood. Thus I would nominate Article 15, but I think Gully Boy is a better movie.
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I agree with all of this! And part of the reason I think Gully Boy is a better movie is because it ends on a hopeful happy note. But if you want an Oscar, you have to end with a mostly downer note, thus Article 15 is the better chance. Leave you feeling all weighted down and depressed so you know it was a “serious” movie.
On Mon, Jan 13, 2020 at 10:22 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Article 15 because as Genevieve said, Hollywood likes those sad stories about dark side of the human nature.
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Heck, even the lighting is dark! It’s all overcast and grey tone so you know it is a “serious film”.
On Mon, Jan 13, 2020 at 11:43 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I would normally agree with everyone on Article 15 but I think Hollywood would only see the Brahmin-savior complex and because it equates to the white-savior complex, they would stay away from it.
I would probably nominate, The Photograph because of the director and it being just Indian enough for Hollywood.
If it were for 2020, I would definitely say, Chhapaak. Just seeing the amount of international reviewers praising the movie and the subject, I think it could have a good chance of winning.
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Ooo, yes! Remind me of Chhapaak in 12 months. It’s an “important topic”, Meghna’s style is very straightforward and West-friendly, and it’s just different enough for people to feel good about learning about other cultures.
On Tue, Jan 14, 2020 at 12:14 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Yupp. Agree with everything you said about Chhapaak.
Also, forgot to add that with Photograph, the actors are not main stream, but “true film experts” know and regard then as excellent actors, and the ending is ambiguous enough for the Oscar committee to think there is a deep and intelligent message there. I am not saying that any of these things are not true. And I am also not sure if I am just being cynical or just practical.
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You know why I didn’t include Photograph? I’m honestly not even comfortable calling it an “Indian film”. Like, I don’t think it should be listed and considered as part of this. Because it is soooooooooooooooo Oscar-baity in all those ways you are describing. It feels as Indian to me as Slumdog Millionaire.
On Tue, Jan 14, 2020 at 12:29 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I assumed that is why you didn’t include it. It is not really an Indian film and it is very Oscar-baity, which is unfortunately why I think it would at least be on the short-list.
Speaking of Meghna, I do think Raazi had a chance last year had it been nominated. Interesting subject matter and story line, nationalistic without being jigonistic, female-led and directed, and “realistic” ending.
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And Raazi is a true story! That akways helps
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I think Kumbalangi Nights. It’s a careful balance between realism and a villain expertly played just short of comic/over the top. The setting is uniquely Indian, the acting is all really strong, the story is original. It shows off the complex family and community relationships Indian cinema is so good at. It’s entertaining but with a serious heart.
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And it looks really really cool!
On Wed, Jan 15, 2020 at 11:25 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I think Gully Boy was a really good choice for submission. Article 15 also could have done really well, but might be so Indian that Oscar voters wouldn’t get it and it wouldn’t get far at all. War is such a good representation of mainstream, popular Indian cinema though, but because it’s such a different style of filmmaking, it’s not “Oscar bait” enough, and would fall on its face.
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