Hansal Mehta says he was also asked to be on FFI jury but refused as the process is 'not free of external pressures’
Hansal Mehta said he was asked to be on the FFI jury, but he'd “rather stay away than have to pretend that all these choices are free of external pressures”.
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has responded after Film Federation of India (FFI) head Jahnu Baruaa called All We Imagine As Light ‘very poor technically’ in a recent interview with Hindustan Times. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Hansal reacted to a person's tweet talking about Jahnu's comment. (Also Read | FFI jury head Jahnu Baruaa addresses Laapataa Ladies' Oscars exit, calls All We Imagine As Light technically ‘very poor’)

What Hansal said about Jahnu's comment on All We Imagine As Light
A person tweeted, "Jahnnu Barua is not some random masala filmmaker. I still cannot figure why he said what he said. I was shocked to hear his views."
Reacting to it, Hansal wrote on the platform, "It is indeed disappointing to hear. I was asked to be on this jury several times, including this time. But I’d rather stay away than have to pretend that all these choices are free of external pressures and only based on merit. Besides, I refuse to accept that FFI can decide these things, including selection of juries."
Earlier, a person also tweeted reacting to Jahnu's comment, "LOL. it’s okay, you made a blunder; it is normal for you. I would now request that you sit back and relax until the next one." Hansal replied, "He must explain what ‘technically poor’ means."
What Jahnu said about Laapataa Ladies, All We Imagine as Light
Recently, Jahnu spoke with Hindustan Times about Laapataa Ladies not being able to make it to the Academy's official shortlist. He also reacted when said that a section of people felt Payal Kapadia's film All We Imagine as Light could have been a better pick. People need to understand that it was a democratic process that one has to go through."
He added, "And the country needs to accept whatever the verdict is. The jury felt that the films which have gone to the Oscars in the last few years lacked Indian-ness. A film needs to represent the nation. We felt that Laapataa Ladies had all the right elements, and presented the social chaos we go through brilliantly." Talking about All We Imagine as Light he said, "The jury felt that her film was very poor technically.”
About Laapataa Ladies, Oscars
In September, the FFI, led by Jahnu, selected Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies as India's official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards. It was selected from a list of 29 films in several Indian languages, including Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light and the National Award-winning Aattam.
Meanwhile, All We Imagine As Light has been nominated for Golden Globes in two categories: Best International Feature and Best Director.

Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.
Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.