Ventilator Director Denies Hyper-Ventilating Against Oscar Entry

Rajesh Mapuskar the director of the Priyanka Chopra production Ventilator in Marathi has been quoted as saying his film and not Amit Masurkar’s Newton should be going as India’s official entry to the Oscars.

Mapuskar is quoted as saying, “I told her(producer Priyanka Chopra) not to worry, assuring her that only the best film would make it. We were a bit disappointed when we learnt about the verdict the next day…I guessPriyanka must be even more disappointed because she was always ambitious about the film. Had it been selected, she would have ensured that it was the most talked about film in the run to the Oscars, especially since she is already an established name there. Ventilator was always the favourite baby of their banner,” Mapuskar said.

Doing a volte-face Mapuskar now says, “My words(in the Oscar comment) were misinterpreted. I trust the jury. I am sure they made the best choice. I wish Newton and its team my best wishes .I hope they get the Oscar for India.”

The other film shortlisted as India’s Oscar entry was Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Mukti Bhawan.

And Shubhashish too takes the diplomatic view saying, “For me it was a miracle Mukti Bhawan got made and released in the first place and for it to be considered was such an honour was in itself a bonanza. I am very happy for Newton’s team and wish them the best at the Oscars to make India proud.”

The third film that was shortlisted was Dangal. There is an eerie from the Dangal team regarding the Newton factor.