Hindi feature Paheli,starring Shah Rukh Khan and directed by Amol Palekar, has been selected as India's entry in the best foreign-language film categoryof the Oscars.

A ten-member jury, headed byIndian filmmaker Vinod Pandey, made the selection in Mumbai after week-longdeliberations. It beat fourteen other Indian films including The Rising: The Ballad Of Mangal Pandey, Swades, Veer-Zaara,Black, Parineeta, Page 3 and Marathi film Uttarayanfor the nomination.

Paheli, which deals with a "woman's right to make achoice", is a love story based on the novel by Rajasthani writer Vijaydan Detha.The film is produced by actor Shah Rukh Khan who also plays the lead role alongwith actress Rani Mukherjee.

The cast also featuresAnupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Juhi Chawla, Suniel Shetty and Amitabh Bachchan.Production on the film was completed in only 47 days.

Only three Indian films,Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan, Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay andMehboob Khan's Mother India have made it to the final five nominations inthe past.