Anuja, a New Delhi-set coming-of-age short film that was competing at the Oscars 2025 in the Best Live Action Short category, lost out on the award to Dutch-language movie I'm Not a Robot.
I'm Not a Robot is a science fiction film written and directed by Victoria Warmerdam.
"After failing an online CAPTCHA test, Max faces an existential crisis when he believes he might actually be a robot," read its synopsis.
Anuja, directed by Adam J Graves and Suchitra Mattai, follows a gifted nine-year-old Anuja, who must make a choice between education and factory work alongside her sister - a decision that will shape both their futures. It stars Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag.
Anuja, currently streaming on Netflix, has two-time Oscar winning producer Guneet Monga and actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas on board as executive producer and Hollywood star-writer Mindy Kaling as producer.
It is produced in collaboration with the Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT), a nonprofit founded by filmmaker Mira Nair's family in support of street and working children, alongside Shine Global, and Krushan Naik Films.
Other nominees in the category were: A Lien, The Last Ranger and The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent.
Hosted by Conan O'Brien, the 97th Academy Awards are live in India on streamer JioHotstar and TV channel Star Plus from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.