Four Indian movies, including Kannada blockbuster "Kantara: A Legend - Chapter 1" and Hindi feature "Tanvi The Great" have made it to the list of eligible films in the Best Picture award category of Oscars 2026.
The films will compete with 201 others to qualify for nominations, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced.
The Academy on Thursday released the “Reminder List of Productions Eligible for the 98th Academy Awards”. The list of films that satisfy the eligibility criteria for consideration in the general categories, including Best Picture, is the step before the nominations that will be announced on January 22.
Besides Rishabh Shetty's "Kantara" and Anupam Kher's directorial, the other two Indian productions are multilingual animated film "Mahavatar Narsimha" and Tamil title "Tourist Family" by first-time filmmaker Abishan Jeevinth.
Radhika Apte-starrer "Sister Midnight", a Hindi language UK-India co-production, has also made it to the list.
In all, 317 feature films are eligible for the 98th Academy Awards, the Academy said. Of these, 201 meet the additional eligibility requirements required for consideration in the Best Picture category.
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Inclusion in the reminder list does not guarantee a nomination. Films must still undergo the Academy’s voting process.
In December 2025, the Academy unveiled its Oscars shortlists for 12 categories, including International Feature Film. Neeraj Ghaywan’s "Homebound", India’s official entry to the Academy Awards this year, has made it to the list of 15 films shortlisted in the category.
A total of 24 categories will be awarded at the 98th Oscars on March 15. Each category has five nominees, except for Best Picture, which has 10.
Best Picture nominations are determined by eligible members from all 19 Academy branches. All rounds of Oscars voting are conducted through a secret online ballot.
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