Not Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rajinikanth, Mohanlal; this Indian actor has his most films sent to Oscars

The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are one of the most prestigious honors in global cinema. They not only recognise excellence in Hollywood but also celebrate the finest films from around the world through the category of Best International Feature Film, which was previously called Best Foreign Language Film until 2020.

Having their film selected for the Oscars is a significant achievement in an actor's career. Several Indian actors, including Kamal Haasan and Aamir Khan, have had multiple films chosen as official entries to the Academy Awards. However, one actor has appeared in a total of eight films that have been submitted to the Oscars, the highest number by any Indian actor to date.

The record is held by Raghubir Yadav, whose films sent to the Oscars include Salaam Bombay!, Rudaali, Bandit Queen, 1947 Earth, Lagaan, Water, Peepli Live, and Newton (in chronological order). Among these, Salaam Bombay!, Lagaan, and Water even got shortlisted among the final five nominees in the Best Foreign Film category but failed to win the award. Additionally, Water was submitted as Canada’s official entry to the Oscars, while the other seven were sent from India.

Kamal Haasan is second on this list, with seven of his films being submitted as India’s official entries to the Academy Awards. These include Saagar, Swathi Muthyam, Nayakan, Thevar Magan, Kuruthipunal, Indian, and Hey Ram (in chronological order). However, none of these films received a nomination among the final five in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

Apart from Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay! and Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan, Mehboob Khan's Mother India is the only other Indian film to have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. SS Rajamouli's RRR, Ritesh Batra's The Lunchbox, and Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light could have been strong contenders to bring home the Oscar if they would have been sent as India's official entry to the Academy Awards.