Cannes to Oscars: Indian films that won big awards globally

The first Indian film that was recognised abroad and won a prize at the Venice Film Festival. The film was adjudged as one of the three best films of the world at the Venice Film Festival. Vishnupant Govind Damle's film also travelled to several international film festivals in 1937. 

Many people don't know that Chetan Anand's 1946 film Neecha Nagar was the first and only Indian film to win the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film, now known as Palme d'Or - the award which has been considered one of the highest honours in cinema. 

Director Bimal Roy made the cult-classic Do Bigha Zameen in the very early years of his career and how effectively he told the story of a poor farmer, who forcibly did a job of rickshawala in Kolkata to save his village land from the industrialist. The film earned laurels worldwide and went on to become the first Indian film to win the International Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1954.
 

Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali is one of the greatest movies India has produced. The film has won many national and international awards and in 1956, the film nabbed the Best Human Document award at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival
 

Satyajit Ray's 'Aparajito' was a sequel to his other classic 'Pather Panchali'. It was the first ever film to win both the Golden Lion and Critics Award at the 1957 Venice Film Festival. 

Mira Nair fiercely told the story of prostitutes and street children effectively, and for her work, the film has won the Camera d’Or & Audience Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
 

A switched lunchbox and a series of delicious meals begin to bring joy to a lonely and rather surly widower Sajan Fernandes in his office canteen. And then notes begin to arrive too, tucked between the delicacies. The sender is Ila, a young, neglected wife who begins to pour her heart out to him.

This exchange of letters adds colour to their bleak lives and they develop an intimate friendship even though they have never met each other.

Irrfan Khan, Nimrit Kaur play the protagonists in this deeply moving film written and directed by Ritesh Batra. It also stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Lillete Dubey and Bharati Achrekar. Watch it on Prime Video.
 

SS Rajamouli's RRR brought immense pride to India. The smash hit song ''Naatu Naatu'' became the first Telugu song to ever win an Oscar at the 95th Academy Awards. The film, which told the story of two Indian revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, respectively, became the first Indian production to win an Oscar.