India Rolls 'Liar's Dice' Into Oscars Race

Actress turned director Geethu Mohandas' "Liar's Dice" is India's entry in the Academy Awards foreign language category, the Film Federation of India (FFI) announced on Tuesday.

The film follows a young woman (Geetanjali Thapa) who takes a long road trip from the Himalayan foothills to Delhi with her infant daughter and a pet goat to find her missing husband. An army deserter, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, helps her in her quest.

"Liar's Dice" has enjoyed considerable festival play including Sundance, Rotterdam and Edinburgh. It won best actress for Thapa, and best cinematography for Rajeev Ravi at India's National Awards.

This year, there were 30 films in contention. Producers could apply to the FFI by paying a fee of INR 50,000 ($820).

India has been submitting films to the category since 1957. Three films, "Mother India," "Salaam Bombay" and "Lagaan" have been nominated, but did not go on to win.

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