The Malayalam film 2018: Everyone is a Hero, India's official entry in the International Feature Film category at the 2024 Academy Awards, is out of the Oscars race.
The Jude Anthany Joseph-directed film failed to make it to the shortlist of 15 films for the category.
The UK's historical drama The Zone of Interest, Denmark's The Promised Land& and Japan's Perfect Days are being billed as the frontrunners in the category.
The shortlist, announced by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), also includes Amerikatsi (Armenia), The Monk and the Gun (Bhutan), Fallen Leaves (Finland), The Taste of Things (France), The Teachers' Lounge (Germany), Godland (Iceland), Io Capitano (Italy), Totem (Mexico), The Mother of All Lies (Morocco), Society of the Snow (Spain), Four Daughters (Tunisia) and 20 Days in Mariupol (Ukraine).
Films from 88 countries were eligible in the category. The shortlisted movies will advance to the next round of voting.
2018, starring Tovino Thomas, was announced as India's official entry for the 96th Oscars.
The movie narrates the story of the devastating Kerala floods in 2018.
According to the makers, the film has earned over Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) at the box office to become the highest grossing film in Malayalam cinema.
In a post on Instagram, Joseph said the opportunity to represent India at a global platform like the Oscars was nothing short of a dream.
'I sincerely apologise to all my well-wishers and supporters for disappointing you all. Nevertheless, the opportunity to represent India in this competition has been a dream-like journey that I will cherish for a lifetime,' Joseph said.
'Being the highest-grossing film and the official Indian entry to the Oscars is a rare achievement in any film-maker's career. I am grateful to God for choosing me for this extraordinary journey,' Joseph added.
The last Indian film that made it to the final five was the Aamir Khan-starrer Lagaan in 2001.
The Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on March 10, 2024 in Los Angeles.
