Industry reacts to Paheli's selection as India's official entry for the Oscars:

Anant Mahadevan: "Frankly it beats me why we don't delve into regional cinema to represent us at the Oscars. They've some world-class cinema in Bengali and Malayalam. But strangely till today an Adoor Galkrishnan whom I rate on a par with Ray and Ghatak hasn't found an Oscar entry. Still if Paheli found favour it must have been due its author Vijaydaan Detha.

His story is deep-rooted to Indian culture and tradition. Paheli needs to be trimed down to a 100 mins. It may then stand a good chance of favourable viewing. Black fell out of favour for its obvious source of inspiration. Paheli has some stunning visuals and also fulfils Shah Rukh's dream of scoring equal points with Aamir as far as an Oscar representation goes."

Hansal Mehta: "When people talk about Black not being original I'm dismayed. There's hardly a frame in Black comparable with The Miracle Worker. Also, what do they mean by calling Paheli being more original? Mani Kaul filmed the same story as Duvidha two decades ago. As for the language, Black speaks the language of the heart. Sign language doesn't have to be in English or Hindi."

Asha Parekh: "I can't understand how Paheli was selected. I feel it should've been Black or Veer-Zara. Both of them are such lovely films and with such a positive message of humanism."

Subhash Ghai: Paheli represents Indian colour culture and ethos and mythical beliefs. It's based on an original work of an Indian writer from Rajasthan . These are elements that may have tilted the scales towards Paheli away from other good films. I'm on the Emmy awards jury and I know how tough it is to judge when there're so many deserving creations. I'm happy my Iqbal was considered for this honour. I'm happy for Shah Rukh and his team."

Victor Bannerjee: "I think Paheli is a worthy enough choice that represents the spirit and colour of India."

Vipul Shah: "It's surprising. No one expected this. But if the jury didn't want Black to go then there wasn't much of choice."

Madhavan: I think Black should've been selected for the Oscar. This is clearly not a fair and unbiased selection. My heart reaches out to Mr Bachchan and Mr Bhansali. When it comes to being denied what I deserve I'm the king."