Ashhar Alam

Four Indian films, including Kannada blockbuster “Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1” and Hindi film “Tanvi The Great”, have made it to the Academy’s list of productions eligible for the 98th Academy Awards, the Oscars body announced.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released its reminder list, a preliminary step before final nominations, which will be announced on January 22. While eligibility does not guarantee a nomination, it places the films in contention across general categories, including best picture.

Apart from Rishabh Shetty’s Kantara and Anupam Kher’s directorial Tanvi The Great, the Indian titles on the list include multilingual animated film “Mahavatar Narsimha” and Tamil debut “Tourist Family”, directed by Abishan Jeevinth. Hindi-language UK-India co-production “Sister Midnight”, starring Radhika Apte, has also been included.

Overall, 317 feature films are eligible for the 2026 Oscars, of which 201 qualify for Best Picture consideration, subject to further Academy voting and inclusion norms.

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Meanwhile, Neeraj Ghaywan’s “Homebound”, India’s official entry this year, has already been shortlisted in the International Feature Film category.

The 98th Academy Awards will be held on March 15, 2026, honouring excellence across 24 categories.