Los Angeles, Feb 11: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Rs 38 crore blockbuster 'Devdas' today failed to garner an Oscar nomination for the best foreign film prize, dashing the hopes of millions of movie buffs in the country. The musical extravaganza starring the best of Bollywood with Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai and Jackie Shroff in the lead, lost out to the "Crime Of Father Amaro" From Mexico, "Hero" from China, "Man Without A Past" from Finland, "Nowhere In Africa" from Germany and "Zus And Zo" from the Netherlands.
The nominations were announced at a pre-dawn ceremony here, after they were decided by 5,816 Academy of Motion Picture art voters, whose ballots had been kept under lock and key by auditors since January 29.
Bhansali's movie, known more for its glittering sets and the cast, than the serious plot of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyaya's classic, failed to join "Mother India, "Salaam Bombay," and "Lagaan," all of which managed an entry into the best five but lost out in the last lap in bagging the golden statuette.
Based on Chattopadhya's 20th century classic, the film follows the love triangle between Devdas, Paro and Chandramukhi, adapted by Bollywood in three different eras.
The film, which won wide acclaim from foreign audience and critics, was invited to a special screening at the prestigious Cannes film festival. Bureau Report