MUMBAI: Three films namely War Horse, The Help and Real Steel from Reliance DreamWorks have garnered eleven Oscar Nominations.

Earlier, Adaminte Makan Abu, India’s official entry at this year’s Oscars, had failed to make it to the top nine shortlisted films for the Best Foreign Film for 2011.

Sohan Roy‘s DAM 999, the country‘s only hope at the Oscars this year, had been eliminated from the Oscar race. The filmmakers were expecting nominations in the best picture, best original song and best original score categories. Though the film was not India’s official entry, it was individually sponsored by the makers.

Despite Indian cinema being recognised globally for its technological advancements, variety, visual splendour, skilled technicians and also for its reach and returns, our films have not been able to break into the coveted Oscar circle for a long time.

Commenting on why we don’t make films worth an Oscar award, producer Mukesh Bhatt said, “ This is because we make films for millions of our Indian audience. That in itself is a herculean task. Though as a rule we send one film as an official entry to the Oscars, we have never grudged about our films being eliminated from the Oscars.”

Among the 30 films that were the country’s official entry at the Oscars, only three films namely Mother India in 1957, Salaam Bombay in 1988 and Lagaan in 2001 got Oscar nominations, while those that failed include Sahib Biwi Ghulam, Reshma aur Shera, Garam Hawa, Manthan, Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Saagar, Rudaali, Bandit Queen, Devdas, Shwas,Rang De Basanti,Tare Zameen Par and Adaminte Makan Abu among others.