Just two days after "Laapataa Ladies" was named India's official submission for the 2025 Oscars, another Hindi film has received the same honour—but this time from the United Kingdom. Sandhya Suri's gripping police procedural "Santosh" has been selected as the UK's official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2025 Academy Awards.

The film, starring Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar in lead roles, premiered in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section at this year's Cannes Film Festival. According to Deadline, "Santosh" was selected by BAFTA, the organisation tasked with choosing the UK's submission for the Oscars by the American Academy.

How 'Santosh' qualified as the UK's official entry?

Though "Santosh" is a Hindi-language film, it qualified for selection in the UK because of its broad release there and strong backing from British producers. The film was produced by Mike Goodridge, James Bowsher, Balthazar de Ganay, and Alan McAlex, with executive producers including Ama Ampadu, Eva Yates, Diarmid Scrimshaw, Lucia Haslauer, and Martin Gerhard.

"Santosh" is produced by the UK-based production house Good Chaos, in collaboration with Razor Film and Haut et Court. It is financed by the British Film Institute (BFI) and BBC Film. The UK often selects non-English language films for the Best International Feature category, as it is a requirement for this Oscar submission.

Written and directed by Sandhya Suri, "Santosh" is an investigative thriller set in rural northern India. The plot follows "Santosh", a newly widowed woman who inherits her late husband's job as a police constable. As she settles into her new role, she becomes entangled in the investigation of a young girl's murder. The film's gritty portrayal of a woman's fight for justice in a patriarchal society is both compelling and hard-hitting.

With its UK submission now official, "Santosh" will compete against dozens of other international films—including India's "Laapataa Ladies"—for a coveted nomination in the Best International Feature Film category. The competition is fierce, with entries pouring in from across the globe. The Academy will announce the final five films nominated for the category in January 2025.

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With its critical acclaim at Cannes and strong performances from Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, "Santosh" is poised to make a strong bid for a nomination. If selected, it will be the first Hindi-language film submitted by the UK to receive an Oscar nomination in this category.