India’s hopes at the 2025 Oscars now rest on ‘Anuja’, a live-action short film produced by Guneet Monga Kapoor, after Kiran Rao’s ‘Laapataa Ladies’ failed to make it to the next round in the International Feature Film category.

On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the shortlists for 10 categories for the upcoming 97th Academy Awards. ‘Laapataa Ladies’, which was India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category, did not advance further, leaving many fans and filmmakers disappointed.

However, India still has a reason to hope. Monga’s ‘Anuja’ has been shortlisted in the Best Live-Action Short Film category. The film sheds light on the important issue of child labor in the garment industry and features actor Nagesh Bhonsle in a key role.

This is Monga’s third nomination at the Oscars. Her earlier projects, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ and ‘Period: End of Sentence’, both won Oscars, bringing glory to Indian cinema.

Apart from ‘Anuja’, another film that remains in the Oscars race is ‘Santosh’, a British-Indian film directed by Sandhya Suri. Featuring actress Shahana Goswami, ‘Santosh’ is the United Kingdom’s official entry for the Oscars. The film premiered earlier this year in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced 30 shortlisted films in contention for the Best Live-Action Short and Best Animated Short Oscar categories. Other shortlisted contenders include Clodagh, The Compatriot, Crust, Dovecote, Edge of Space, and The Ice Cream Man.