Here's How India Was A Crucial Part Of These 4 Oscar-Winning Movies

As much as we are enamoured by Hollywood and the West in general, it is often ignored how interesting and desirable India is to the world. While India's rich history and diversity are often considered a complexity and at times even an inconvenience by some of us, the same view cannot be taken by those who observe it from a larger view.

See more: 18 Times Hollywood Used Indian Locations To Make Brilliant Films

And this results in a strange kind of paradox. Big-budgeted Bollywood movies strive to use different and unexplored foreign locations each time (Vienna, Switzerland, London and so on), yet not fully delving into stories that originate from our land. And while this is happening, Hollywood and other foreign movie industries also follow that trend. But for them, India is an exotic location which can be used to tell good -- even, great -- stories.

Here are the Oscar-winning that used India, both as a location and a motif:

#1 GANDHI (1982)

Winner of eight (8!) Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor, Gandhi tells the story of one of the most iconic figures of the 20th Century and his role in India gaining independence from British rule. The film, which was extensively shot in India, gave insight into one of the most talked-about revolutions in the modern history. 

Also, the film used $10 million from the National Film Development Corporation of India for its production and also employed host of Indian actors including Amrish Puri and Om Puri, in addition to thousands of Indian extras.

#2 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008)

Probably the most Indian film ever to have won at Oscars, Slumdog Millionaire told the incredible fictional tale of a boy arising from slums of Mumbai and going to win lots of money at the most popular reality quiz show in the country. Winner of eight Oscars, this film too used a lot of Indian actors and technicians as it captured the brutal view of urban slums in the country.

Interestingly, Danny Boyle, who directed the film, used Ram Gopal Varma's Satya and Company for the preparation for the film.

#3 ZERO DARK THIRTY (2012)

Nominated for 5 Academy Awards (winning one for Sound Editing), Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty detailed the manhunt of one of the most wanted terrorists in recent times, Osama Bin Laden. But unlike genuine inclusion of other films, India is used as a sort-of stereotype. Some scenes of the film were shot in Chandigarh that was made to look like Lahore and Abbottabad, where Osama Bin Laden resided.

#4 LIFE OF PI (2012)

Based on the brilliant novel by Yann Martel, Ang Lee's Life Of Pi was a spell-binding film as well. Winner of four Academy Awards (including Best Director for Lee), the film told the tale of a family from Puducherry, who move to Canada with their zoo animals. But unfortunately, the ship that is carrying the family and the animals is smashed by a raging storm. This leaves Pi, 16, with a Bengal Tiger and other dangerous animals on a lifeboat. 

The film is filled with religious meditations and social observations that take its source from India. The film, other than having Indian-origin actors, also uses a lot of South Indian locations including Botanical Gardens.

See more: 14 Indian Films That Had A Real Shot At An Oscar But Weren't Even Selected