MUMBAI: National Award winning Hindi film Liar's Dice, starring Geetanjali Thapa and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, has been chosen as India's entry for the ‘Best foreign film’ category at the 87th Academy Awards.

Directed by the film debutant Geetu Mohandas the film has been chosen by a 12-member jury appointed by the Film Federation of India (FFI). The film has been shortlisted out of 30 contenders, the largest number FFI has ever considered including Priyanka Chopra’s Mary Kom,  Kangna Ranaut starrer Queen, Hansal Mehta's acclaimed Shahid and Riteish Deshmukh-produced Marathi film Yellow, Rani Mukherji’s comeback Mardaani  among others.

The movie tells the story of a young tribal mother who, along with her three-year-old daughter, embarks on a journey in search of her missing husband. On the way, she meets an army deserter, who decides to accompany them to their destination.

Early this year, Liar's Dice won the special jury award at the Sofia International Film Festival in Bulgaria. In addition to traveling at various festivals, it went on to win the National Awards honor for best actress (Geetanjali Thapa) and cinematography (Rajeev Ravi).

The last Indian film that made it to the final five nominees at the Oscars was Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan. Mother India and Salaam Bombay are the only other two Indian films to have made it to the top five.

The 87th Academy awards will take place on 22 February.