Following the BAFTA nomination announcement, SS Rajamouli’s RRR was snubbed from Best Foreign Film in favour of Austrian film Corsage, despite an actor in the film being accused of possessing child pornography.
India’s representation at the BAFTAs this year was SS Rajamouli’s Telugu epic RRR, which has already been doing its rounds at the awards circuit.
Having already bagged a Golden Globe for Best Original Song for Naatu Naatu and two Critics Choice Awards for Best Foreign Film and Best Original Song, RRR is already an industry favourite.
RRR won the BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM award at the #CritcsChoiceawards 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
— RRR Movie (@RRRMovie) January 16, 2023
Here’s @ssrajamouli acceptance speech!!
MERA BHARATH MAHAAN 🇮🇳 #RRRMovie pic.twitter.com/dzTEkAaKeD
Despite its rapidly growing popularity in award circles, RRR missed out on a BAFTA nomination under the Best Film Not in the English Language - the only category it was shortlisted for.
Films that made the BAFTA cut include fellow Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award nominees under the same category:
As well as The Quiet Girl from Ireland and... Corsage from Austria.
Written and directed by Marie Kreutzer, Corsage is an international co-production between Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and France, debuted in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022.
The historical drama follows Empress Elisabeth of Austria (played by lead star Vicky Krieps), who is semi-estranged from her philandering husband (played by Florian Teichtmeister) as she begins to act oddly, as she nears her 40th birthday.
However, the Austrian film has drawn immense criticism amid allegations against its supporting actor Florian Teichtmeister for the possession of child pornography.
Teichmeister, who plays Emperor Franz Joseph I in the film, was charged with the possession of over 58,000 images of child porn, depicting minors as young as 14.
According to Variety, Teichtmeister’s lawyer Michael Rami said the actor intends to plead guilty to the charges and faces up to two years in prison.
Corsage has already picked up awards at Cannes and other European film awards, with Vicky Krieps winning the Un Certain Regard Best Performance Prize at Cannes and landing an Indie Spirit Award nomination.
Despite being steeped in controversy, Corsage remains Austria’s official entry for Best International Feature Oscar.
However, RRR’s run at the awards is far from over. Rajamouli’s blockbuster stands a strong chance at the Academy Awards in a few months, having already stacked up on a few awards so far.
For Your Consideration: Best Original Song, "Naatu Naatu"
— Variance Films (@VarianceFilms) January 5, 2023
“RRR is the best—and most revolutionary—blockbuster of 2022...” says Rolling Stone, “…the dance sequence feels like a Gene Kelly number dialed up to superhuman levels.”#RRRForOscars pic.twitter.com/pIh19xRWjE
RRR can be nominated under up to 11 Oscar categories including:
To know more about RRR's shot at the Oscar's, take a look at: RRR has superb chances at an Oscars 2023 win now that it has made history with a Golden Globe
Fingers crossed for its performance at the Oscar nomination announcement on January 24.
ALSO SEE: How To Win An Oscar