There is a particular kind of thrill that film lovers know well. You are scrolling, half-distracted, and then a title you recognise shows up in a place you did not expect. You pause. You read it again. You send it to a friend with a message that says, “Look!”

That moment arrived in early January 2026, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences published its Best Picture reminder list for the 98th Academy Awards. These are films that are eligible for Best Picture consideration this year. And on that list, four Indian titles stand out: Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1, Mahavatar Narsimha, Tanvi the Great, and Tourist Family.

Eligibility is the doorway, not the finish line. From here, the season moves through nomination voting (12 to 16 January 2026), the nominations announcement (22 January 2026), and the Oscars ceremony on 15 March 2026.

So what do these four films bring to the table? 

Set in coastal Karnataka, Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 expands the world that many viewers first met in Kantara (2022). It is a prequel, which means it travels backwards into origin stories, old conflicts, and the forces that shaped what came later.

Directed by Rishab Shetty, the film leans into........

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