Why Karthik Subbaraj’s ‘Dorothy’ missed Oscar entry despite strong consideration

Published: October 05, 2026 02:43 PM IST

Karthik Subbaraj, known for critically acclaimed films such as ‘Petta,’ which celebrated Rajinikanth’s star image, and ‘Jigarthanda,’ has struck gold once again with the Tamil film ‘Dorothy,’ which explores issues of transgender identity and caste discrimination. Starring Keerthy Suresh in the lead, along with Sananth and Rishikanth, the film has maintained a steady run at the box office in the ten days since its release.

According to Sacnilk, the crime drama has grossed over Rs 12 crore worldwide, with the Tamil version contributing the bulk of the collections. While ‘Dorothy’ has divided audiences over its content, the film was also among the contenders for selection as India’s official entry to the Oscars this year. Although the Marathi film ‘Gondhal’ was eventually selected as India’s official entry, Anil Thomas, a member of the Oscar selection committee of the Film Federation of India revealed that ‘Dorothy’ was among the top five films considered by the FFI.

‘Dorothy’ along with films like ‘Balan,’ was among the top five contenders selected from a pool of 300 films. However, ‘Dorothy’ faced a disadvantage. According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, films competing in the general categories must have a commercial theatrical run of at least seven days. “In Dorothy’s case, the film had released only six days before the final application deadline,” Anil told Onmanorama.

Anil also said a similar issue arose with ‘Angh,’ a film based on the Konyak tribe of Nagaland. However, Angh secured direct entry into the Oscars after premiering at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where it won the prestigious Platform Prize, he added.