Bollywood film ‘Newton’ is India’s official entry in the Foreign Language Film category at the 2018 Oscars.

Rajkummar Rao, who played the lead role in ‘Newton’, took to Twitter to share the news. He said, “Very happy to share this news that #NEWTON is India’s official entry to the #OSCARS this year. Congratulations team.”

Watch the NEWTON trailer:

Rajkummar said, “I am elated and super thrilled. The kind of response we are getting for the film in India is so good and now, an Oscar submission, it’s huge. I am very happy to represent India at Oscars. I hope the film makes it to the final list. But right now, I am very happy because we made the movie with a lot of passion, sincerity and honesty, and people are recognising that sincerity.”

“It’s a huge thing that people are loving the film here because we didn’t make a big, commercial, masala entertainer. The power of the film is its story and the way it has been told. The credit goes to the team, which didn’t compromise on the story. It’s a very pure, simple and sweetly told film,” added the ‘Newton’ actor.

Newton ‘director’ Amit Masurkar, who is very happy with this development, said, “The timing is so perfect. I can’t believe it. The film hits the screens today, and today is the announcement for Oscars. I just hope more people come to watch the film now. We are a 70-year-old democracy, and I am glad that with this film we could focus on the need to strengthen our democracy. It is important because there are people who are not treated at par with the rest of the country. This will help the general movie going audience also realise that this is an issue we need to address.”

Newton Oscar entry:

Talking about ‘Newton’ being India’s official Oscar entry, the film’s presenter Anand L Rai said, “I am really happy. The moment I watched the film, I wanted to be a part of it. And this is just great! I am lucky that I am a part of this film. Amit is a fabulous director and Rajkummar is a great actor. They deserve every bit of this success.”

‘Newton’, which hit screens on September 22, revolves around a government clerk who tries his best to conduct free and fair voting in a Naxal-controlled town. The film also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Raghubir Yadav, Anjali Patil, Danish Hussain and Sanjay Mishra.

In her review of the Rajkummar Rao film, film critic Shubhra Gupta had said, “Director Amit V Masurkar and co-scriptwriter Mayank Tewari have crafted a strong black comedy. It is as sharp and subversive as the classic ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’, and even though it is entirely sobering, it leaves us feeling just a little better about ourselves.”