Tuesday night brought a mixed bag of emotions for Indian film artistes as the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced its shortlists in various categories. While Kiran Rao’s feminist dramedy Laapataa Ladies, which was India’s official entry to the 2025 Oscars, wasn’t shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film, UK’s entry Santosh made it to the coveted list. When mid-day reached out to Shahana Goswami, who leads the British-India co-production, her joy knew no bounds. “From 85 films to now 15,” she exclaimed, at the start of our chat.

For the leading actor, what makes this achievement particularly special is that the makers of the police procedural thriller—helmed by Sandhya Suri, and also starring Sunita Rajwar—didn’t have an aggressive Oscar campaign. “We didn’t have crazy showcasing of the film all over the world during this period. I think people chanced upon it and were curious to watch. Many people messaged me that they watched the film as a part of the Academy screeners,” said Goswami.