American director Gregg Helvey’s Hindi film Kavi, which deals with the issue of child labour, has been nominated in the Short Film (Live Action) category at the upcoming 82nd annual Academy Awards. The film, produced by Guneet Monga, Harish Amin and Helvey, was filmed entirely in Wai, near Mumbai. It tells the story of a young boy who wants to play cricket and go to school, but is forced to work in a brick kiln.
“We are extremely happy and would like to thank each and every person who has put in his or her efforts into this project. We had celebrated when we won the Student Oscar for Kavi and that is just what we are planning right now,” Monga told IANS over phone from Mumbai. Helvey, who was a student of the University of South California, came to India without enough finances to produce the film. The film has been subtitled in English and won various awards at international festivals. Made at a shoestring budget of just over $30,000 (Rs.14 Lakhs) it was shot in just eight days.
Meanwhile, India’s main contender, Mr. A.R. Rahman failed to secure a place in the ‘Best Original Song’ category. The 44-year-old maestro was short-listed in the ‘Best Original Song’ category for his song Na…Na… for his Hollywood debut movie Couples Retreat but couldn’t make it to the final list. Even Marathi movie Harishchandrachi Factory, India’s official entry at the 2010 Oscars, (in the ‘Foreign Film’ category), had been voted out last month.