“It is not that Oscar awards are the ultimate recognition.” When Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan said these words was he trying to underplay the ceremony or was he just trying to place the recently concluded Filmfare awards higher in the list? In fact ask any Indian contributor to the film industry and he would say that while the international awards are great getting a Filmfare is the most satisfying feeling ever. Can the black lady be compared to the golden man or is it just dreams in the air for the Indian film industry?

While the star quotient and the red-carpet glamour is evident with both the ceremonies, it is the class and the appeal attached to the Oscars that places it on a higher mantle. While the Oscars is packaged in such a way that audiences wake up at odd hours from all over the world to catch it live, Filmfare is based on crude, leg-pulling jokes to make the evening ‘memorable’.

The Oscars has attracted more than just Hollywood while the Filmfare continues to please the Khans, Roshans and the Bachchans of Bollywood. How else would you explain the attendance of American, Canadian, European as well as Indian stars at the Kodak Theatre while Filmfare grasps at just the Indian celebrities? Will Smith was the first and the last international appearance in the year 2006. Yet we look to compare.

What the Filmfare needs to do is start appreciating International films on the stage. A nomination such as ‘Best foreign film’ will automatically generate interest amongst our western counterparts and will ensure some sort of international participation and recognition if not instant fame. The time has come for the highest Indian award ceremony to stand up and take responsibility for representation of India and its highly-acclaimed film industry.