hekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth: The Golden Age has received two nominations in 2008 Oscars.

India’s official entry for this year’s Oscars may have failed to make it to the grade but the 80th Annual Academy Awards will still have a couple of Indian connections.

Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth: The Golden Age has received two nominations -- best actress for Aussie star Cate Blanchett and best costume.

Incidentally, Elizabeth, a sequel to Elizabeth: The Golden Age and also directed by Kapur, had won an Oscar in 1998 for best makeup (Jenny Shircore).

Also a nominee in best actress category for her role in Away from Her, Julie Christie has her roots in India.

The veteran actress, who already has an Oscar in her bag (for her performance in Darling in 1965), was born in a tea garden in Assam in 1941.

Her father was the Manager of the Chabua tea estate.

But the family left for London when Christie was six years old.

This year, India’s entry in the foreign film category -- Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Eklavya - The Royal Guard failed to make it to the final five.

The first Indian to win an Oscar was Bhanu Athaiya for costume design in Richard Attenborough’s film Gandhi in 1982.

Satyajit Ray was given a Special Oscar -- the Academy Honorary Award in 1992 -- for his contribution to world cinema.

Actor Kamal Hasan has the credit of receiving the highest nominations by an Indian. Six of his movies have been sent as India’s official entries to the Academy Awards.