Mumbai, Feb. 12 :    Mumbai, Feb. 12:  Aamir Khan beat the English in their own game - cricket - in the make-believe world of films. On March 24, he'll be sitting in the glitzy new Kodak Theatre, hoping to win the crown in the capital of the make-believe world. Lagaan, Aamir Khan's blockbuster, came today within striking distance of the world's most prestigious award, figuring as one of the five nominated foreign films. That is an honour only two other Indian films - Mother India and Salaam Bombay - can claim. In Beverly Hills, California, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the 74th annual Oscar nominations. In the foreign film category, the four other entries vying for the Oscars are France's Amelie, Norway's Elling, Bosnia's No Man's Land and Argentina's Son of the Bride. Aamir, who turned producer with Lagaan and also played the lead role in it, said he was 'overwhelmed' by the news of the nomination and hoped that 'we shall make it'. Of the four competitors, Aamir sees Amelie as a 'real threat', his aide said. Not just Aamir and his crew, but the entire film industry was ecstatic when they read the name Lagaan on the nomination list. 'I can't believe it. It's like a dream come true,' debutante Gracy Singh, who played the female lead in the film, gushed. Aamir was 'over the moon', an aide said. 'He just did not know how to take the news, whether to cry or laugh.' One of the first things he did was to call up Ashutosh Gowarikar, the film's director, and they complimented each other. 'I feel Indian cinema should carve out a place for itself in the world. More movies like Lagaan will be made because there is no dearth of talent,' Aamir said. 'We should always think big.' Bollywood, the nerve centre of Indian cinema, has long longed for the coveted award. And it sees the recognition of Lagaan as recognition of the entire industry. 'It's a wonderful news, something marvellous. Finally an Indian film has won an Oscar nomination in many years,' filmmaker Shyam Benegal said. Describing Lagaan as a 'good film', Benegal said the film's nomination reflected that 'our cinema has found international acceptance'. He said it was good news not just for Bollywood, but for the entire South Asian film industry. It took Lagaan all of 96 hours to go up a few notches on the Oscar scale. Last Friday, Aamir gushed, while releasing a comic book on his film, that Lagaan had made it to the best eight films in the world. 'When it was officially screened on January 27, the jury highly appreciated it,' a beaming Aamir said. But today, when the news came through, he found it hard to digest. 'It took time to sink in,' the aide said. Refusing to take no for an answer, Aamir has invested plenty of money and time to turn Hollywood's attention to the film. He said on Friday he was happy that his efforts had 'paid off'. Bollywood does not want to pop champagne just yet since the road to the Oscars can be treacherous. But it feels that being shortlisted gives it a reason to celebrate.