Filmmaker Ramin Bahrani has thanked Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for giving him his maiden Oscar nomination for his Netflix feature "The White Tiger". The filmmaker said it is an honour for him to be nominated in the best adapted screenplay category at the upcoming 93rd edition of Academy Awards.
The director is pitted against Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller of "The Father", "Nomadland" director Chloe Zhao; "One Night in Miami..." writer Kemp Power; and the team behind "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" in the category.
"Thank you to the Academy for recognising ‘The White Tiger’ – it is an honour to be named among such brilliant writers," Bahrani said in a statement.
"I want to thank Ted Sarandos, Scott Stuber and everyone at Netflix for their support; my producing partners Mukul Deora, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas and Ava Duvernay; my incredible cast, including Adarsh Gourav, Rajkummar Rao and Priyanka, for making the dialogue sing," he added.
Based on Aravind Adiga''s Booker Prize winning novel of the same name, "The White Tiger" follows Balram''s (Gourav) rise from a poor villager to a successful entrepreneur in India.
The movie showcases how hunger and lack of opportunity can build and drive a human being''s animal instinct of survival.
Bahrani also expressed his gratitude to the film''s crew for welcoming him with "warm hearts and tremendous talent".
"Most of all, I want to thank my college friend and author Aravind Adiga - this nomination is as much his as it is mine. Thank you all for helping me tell a story about an oppressed man who will do anything to be free," he added.
The Oscar nominations were announced by Chopra Jonas and her pop star husband Nick Jonas from London on March 15.
Streamer Netflix amassed 35 nominations across categories for 16 titles with David Fincher''s "Mank" bagging 10 nods, including best picture, best director, best actor for Gary Oldman.
The 93rd edition of the award ceremony will take place on April 25, after being postponed from its usual February date in the wake of the pandemic.
