The song We Will Rise from the Malayalam film Veeram (pic) ,directed by Jayaraj Nair, has made it to the list of 91 eligible songs for the prestigious Academy Awards.
Kunal Kapoor, the lead actor, wrote on Twitter, “So happy to share this. The first time an Indian film has made it to the long list for best song #Veeram #Oscars.” Music composer Jeff Rona said he was surprised to have a song on the Oscar list. Composed by Hollywood musician who also co-wrote the lyrics and crooned with Kari Kimmel added, “Just being eligible isn’t nice (it’s not a nomination), but a big thing in India.”
Interestingly, the song is only two steps away from winning an Oscar. The final nominees will be announced on January 26 next year. Touted to be a ‘Baahubali’ of Kerala, Veeram is the big screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and is set in the 13th Century. The film revolves around the life of warrior Chandu Chekavar and his quest for power. Veeram is a trilingual film — Malayalam, English and Hindi.