Revisit these Hindi movies on OTT that were India's official Oscar entries before Homebound drops on Netflix

Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa's latest release, Homebound, that become the 98th Oscar entry from India, is releasing soon on Netflix.

Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa from Homebound

The Academy Awards, widely known as the Oscars, is the most prestigious global accolade that an actor or a movie can achieve. Best International Feature Film is one of the special categories of Academy Awards that honour the cinematic brilliance outside the Western cinema. Every year, nations pick their best movies to compete for a nomination. For the Oscars 2026, India chose Karan Johar's Homebound for its official entry at the 98th Academy Awards. Before Homebound drops on Netflix on November 21, let's revisit some iconic Hindi movies from the bygone era with OTTplay Premium that also made their grand Oscar entries during their times.

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Bollywood movies that made Oscar entries:

Mother India

Released in 1957, this epic musical melodrama is considered one of the greatest movies in the history of Indian cinema. Mother India's powerful portrayal of a woman's sacrifice and resilience not only garnered praises from Indian audience, but also amazed the global critics as well. Starring Nargis Dutt, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar, this family drama movie was India's first ever submission to the 30th Academy Awards in 1958.

Madhumati

Released in 1958, this musical romance drama ws selected from India's official entry at the Oscars. Madhumati featured Dilip Kumar and Vyajayanthimala in the leads, along with Pran, Johnny Walker and Jayant in supporting roles. The movie centers on a tragic love story, reincarnation, and revenge drama with thrilling appearance of a female ghost, who got separated from her lover in the past life, now thriving for revenge.

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam

Another musical drama that was India's official entry at the 35th Academy Awards in 1963. Starring Guru Dutt, Meena Kumari, Waheeda Rahman, Nazir Hussain, Rehman and Dhumal, the movie follows a tragic love story where a wealthy man goes to brothel daily to satisfy his physical needs. This makes his young wife mentally disturbed and emotional torments her, leading to her finding solace in the arms of their neighbour, Bhootnath.

Uphaar

Starring Jaya Bachchan, Swarup Dutta, Suresh Chatwal, Nandita Thakur and Nana Palsikar, this family drama was released in 1971 and was India's official entry at the 44th Academy Awards in 1972. The story follows a village woman Minoo who gets married to a city-dwelling law student Anoop at a very young age, leading to her deal with the transition from a carefree adolescent to a responsible married woman, and her journey toward maturity as she realises her love for her husband.

Manthan

This Hindi drama movie was India's official entry for Oscars at the 49th Academy Awards in 1977. Manthan starred Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Kamad, Amrish Puri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Anant Nah, Mohan Agashe and Salim Ghouse. The story follows a vegetarian who visits a rural village to establish a dairy cooperative, aiming to empower the local farmers who are mostly from Dalit community. His efforts meet resistance from local traders who profit from torturing the poor and are threatened by the new power dynamic.

Salaam Bombay!

Starring Shafiq Syed, Raghuvir Yadav, Anita Kanwar, Nana Patekar, Hansa Vithal and Chanda Sharma, this drama movie was India's official entry for Oscars at the 61st Academy Awards in 1989. Salaam Bombay! was India's second submission to be nominated, winning the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie portays the raw lives of the street children in the slum areas of Mumbai. A young boy's struggle for survival amidst poverty, drug abuse, exploitation.

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