It was like India’s Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar hitting a perfect stroke but well caught near the boundary ropes on 99 just one short of his century leaving everyone in the packed stadium stunned for a moment. Something of a similar effect happened for millions of Indians when `Lagaan’ failed to win a match that everyone thought it had won on Monday morning.

Only the third film ever to make it to Hollywood for an Oscar – the two being Mehboob’s `Mother India’ and Deeepa Mehta’s `Salaam Bombay’. The 74th Academy awardees did not consider the Amir Khan’s film good enough for an Oscar, much to the disappointment of millions of Indians who got up at 6 on Monday morning to watch the direct telecast of the awards ceremony from Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

After the flip-second announcement from an envelop, television clips showed a slightly disappointed `Lagaan’ producer and lead actor Aamir Khan and director Ashutosh Gowariker sitting in Hollywood but rising to sportingly clap the winner ‘No Man’s Land’ from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Although disappointment was evident all around, both director Ashutosh Gowariker and actor producer Aamir Khan had been building a base for a few days to guard against dejection if the Oscar did not come their way. The Indian film industry itself has been cautiously hopeful of what could have been Bollywood’s first Oscar.

For `Lagaan’, even reaching thus far is a major achievement considering the fact that so far only two films have managed to reach the nominations stage, making Khan’s cricket extravaganza number three. Both Khan and Gowariker had issued statements in the last two days saying that it did not matter if they won or not since being nominated for Oscars was good enough for them.

Monday morning it was an excited Capital that switched on their televisions at 6:30 a.m. to watch the proceedings. Khan and Gowariker were briefly visible in the opening shots of the 74th Academy Awards at Hollywood. In the pre show interviews the Indian team were left strictly alone, indicating that Hollywood might have nominated `Lagaan’ for the Best Foreign Language feature film but the movie continued to be a sealed book to them.

However, cable operators across the city appeared to be suitably excited at the prospects of `Lagaan’’s nomination and in several parts of the city the film was aired on Sunday, whetting everyone’s appetite for what was scheduled for Monday.

A day before the award giving ceremony, millions of Indians prayed, keeping their fingers crossed, their hearts in their mouths, as they waited with bated breath to find out whether `Lagaan’ will break the Oscar jinx for the country.

If it would have got the Oscar for the Best Film in the Foreign Category, `Lagaan’ would have been the first-ever Indian film to achieve this coveted feat.

Most Indian film critics had given the film a big chance.

The film’s producer and star Aamir Khan was already in Hollywood with his team for the ceremony, days in advance.

A brilliant film in all respects, described as flawless by none other than the Bollywood great Amitabh Bachchan, `Lagaan’ has already created history by breaking box-office records not only in India but even in Western countries. Its Oscar nomination put it in the category of a cinema epic – epitomising the winning spirit that is India.

If `Lagaan’ has reached such heights today, it is because of the singular efforts of one man -- Aamir Khan. But its international success is a tragic reflection on the fragmented status of our film industry. A single individual had to produce, act, distribute, promote and sell his product all the way from Mumbai to Los Angeles. In fact, he had to almost establish a second home in Los Angeles to sell `Lagaan’.

The film, to quote Bachchan, proves that Bollywood has the potential to make a mark in the international arena.

For millions of Indians it didn’t matter if the Academy did not consider `Lagaan’ the best. For the Indians it remains the best.