The other day, the Academy announced that 201 films are eligible for consideration for the Best Picture Oscar award this year. Earlier today, Hombale Films announced through social media that it has submitted its productions Kantara: Chapter 1 and Mahavatar Narasimha for Oscar to the Academy's General Entry List. This qualifies both films for being shortlisted and considered for an Oscar across main categories, such as best picture, acting, direction, production design, cinematography, production, and screenwriting, subject to the Academy's evaluation. Vijay Kiragandur produced both films through his Hombale Films banner.
The Kantara prequel and Mahavatar Narasimha have enjoyed critical appreciation and commercial success. The Rishab Shetty directorial, also starring Rukmini Vasanth and Gulshan Devaiah in important roles, is one of the highest-grossing Indian films of 2025, having grossed over 850 crore at the global box office. Critics also appreciated the film for its storytelling, technical proficiency, and acting across the board. On the other hand, Mahavatar Narasimha has become the highest-grossing animated film in Indian cinema's history, with a worldwide box office collection of 325 crore.
Speaking about the Kantara prequel's achievement, producer Vijay said, "A story born from faith, tradition, and the soil of our land finding its voice on the world stage is a moment of profound pride for all of us. This recognition reaffirms our belief that deeply rooted narratives, when told with honesty and conviction, transcend boundaries and speak to the world."
About Mahavatar Narasimha, the producer stated, "Indian mythological narratives carry a timeless power and universal resonance. Moments like these inspire us to dream bigger, tell bolder stories, and bring the spiritual and cultural grandeur of India to the global stage with authenticity and purpose."
It is worth noting that there are 201 films in the aforesaid list, also including popular entertainers such as Jurassic World Rebirth, F1, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, The Naked Gun, Sisu: Road to Revenge, and Lilo and Stitch, among others. Last year, even the much-criticised Siva directorial Kanguva, starring Suriya, made its way into the list. This is to say, being present on the list does not guarantee an Oscar nomination.
The other Indian films present on the list are Tourist Family, Tanvi the Great and Sister Midnight.
As reported above, Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound has made its way to the 15-film shortlist for a Best International Feature Film Oscar. The Academy is expected to announce the final list of nominations later this January.
